echoes, silence, patience and grace
by SilentMuse.x
Summary: Post-1x20 but pre-1x21. An important person from Jesse's life transfers to McKinley and throws New Directions into a tail-spin, questioning all the impressions they had on the former star of Vocal Adrenaline. Jesse-centric with St. Berry.
1. You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side

**Chapter 1: **You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side

**A/N**: This will be mildly Jesse-centric with heavy hints of St. Berry. A new character and her story is introduced to give Jesse more depth to his character and so we could see him more as just "the cocky Vocal Adrenaline captain who wants nothing more than win his fourth consecutive National's title". The first chapter would be OC-centric but the second chapter will most definitely be Jesse and/or Rachel-centric. Enjoy!

And just so you know, I'm completely rubbish at characterization so if Rachel and/or Jesse seem off to you...it's completely my fault.

Summary comes from a quote by Barbara Alpert. =)

**Warnings: **Rated for future chapters and a future storyline. =)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Glee, because if I did Jesse wouldn't have a hidden agenda and St. Berry would be endgame (and Jonathan Groff would be in Glee FOREVER!). My Junk is not owned by me either (but you totally should listen to it!) Title of the chapters comes from a song by Morrissey. Title of the story is from a song by The Foo Fighters.

* * *

Jesse was curious as to why he was needed in the Principal's Office. He was _never _in trouble and he always made sure that his grades were in tip-top shape. Truth to be told, he was slightly annoyed because he had to miss Glee practice to go to the office in the first place. And out of all the things Jesse St. James didn't like, it was missing practice.

But as he neared the principal's office, he felt a sick sense of dread come over him. What if it was Shelby Corcoran who was in the office? What if she was here to fetch his papers so he could return to Vocal Adrenaline? What if his time was up? So he found himself hesitating before pulling himself together and entering the office.

"You asked for me, Sir?" he asked the principal, whose name he didn't bother to know much less remember. He kept his eyes straight at the principal (and no, he was not averting his eyes from the seats so he wouldn't know if it was his coach or not).

"Ah yes, Mr. St. James," Principal Figgins started with his normal tone as he set aside some paperwork that were on his desk. "There is a new transferee student from Carmel High. She has noted that she knew you and that you might be willing to give her a tour around William McKinley High."

_A Carmel High student? _Jesse asked himself with confusion. It was then that he turned his eyes to look at the occupied seat in front of the principal's desk. All he saw was the back of her head and his eyes widened at the familiar sight of her wavy light brown hair. _It couldn't be_, he said to himself.

It was then that the girl had turned her head to face him. Familiar light green eyes met his blue ones. The corners of her lips tugged up in a well-remembered smirk.

"Hi Jesse," she said as her eyes danced with mirth at his obvious surprise. "Didn't you miss me?"

* * *

Rachel was worried. When Jesse had told her that he would need to miss Glee practice to meet with Principal Figgins, she understood (the fact that he promised that he'll see her as soon as Glee finished practicing helped). But it had been precisely five minutes and fourteen seconds since Glee had finished rehearsing and still, no Jesse in sight. So she had resorted to waiting outside the office.

She had told herself that if Jesse didn't appear within the next fifteen minutes, she would go. (But she knew to herself that she wouldn't stop waiting until he comes out.)

Truth to be told, Rachel was getting anxious. What if something had happened? What if something bad happened to his parents, or _worse_, what if they were back to bring Jesse back to Vocal Adrenaline? So Rachel found herself pacing outside, worrying.

Ten minutes have passed when the door to the office had opened and Jesse came out. Rachel's eyes brightened but her mood was suddenly dampened when he saw that he had his arm slung around another girl (a very not-ugly girl, Rachel noted grudgingly) and he was talking animatedly with her.

Rachel instantly marched up to him and curled her arm around his free arm possessively.

"Jesse, care to explain?" Rachel asked, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. Because Rachel was not the jealous type (no, she really wasn't. It was not jealousy that was urging her to snatch Jesse's arms away from the girl's shoulders. It was also not jealousy that was making unpleasant knots in the pit of her stomach when she saw that Jesse clearly enjoyed this other girl's company. It really wasn't.) She glanced at the other girl and was satisfied that she had a confused look on her face.

"Jesse?" she asked uncertainly, as she shrugged his arm off her shoulders. "Who's this?"

* * *

When Jesse had gotten over the initial shock of actually seeing _her here _in the _country_, he immediately went up to her as she stood up and enveloped her in a tight hug – which she hesitantly returned.

"I can't believe you're finally back," he said as he released her. He couldn't stop the grin that was forming on his lips. "I thought you wouldn't be back from London for another week."

"Well, I got a call from a friend in Carmel High who notified me that she wasn't seeing you around anymore," she said as she brushed her bangs away from her face. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder with much difficulty. "So I immediately booked a flight home because I got worried that you did something to have you expelled or something. I came back two days ago and the first day I came back, I immediately went to Carmel to ask Ms. Corcoran what happened to you and she told me you transferred here."

"But if you came back two days ago…where are you staying?" Jesse asked in confusion.

"I'm staying over at Aunt Eliza's place, but considering her place isn't in this school's district I might need to move soon," she said with a shrug.

"Why are you wearing a scarf?" Jesse asked as he tugged at the leopard-printed fabric around her neck, noticing how she slightly shied away from his touch. Jesse sighed as he pulled his hand away after her eyes became guarded. "It's just me. Just me."

She immediately closed her eyes and let out a long breath. "I know. I'm sorry." She immediately gave him a bright smile. The transition was so fast that she almost fooled him – well, almost. "This is a La Redoute scarf. It's fashion, Jesse. Didn't you use to complain that I didn't have a fashion sense?"

"And you're wearing a beret, why?" Jesse asked teasingly with a smirk. "I thought you went to London, England not Paris, France. Is that from Urban Outfitters?"

"I'm not even going to ask how you knew that," she said with a slight laugh as she placed a protective hand over her beret. "I never realized how much I missed all of this."

Jesse found himself smiling at that. It was really refreshing to see her face again. "So, how was the whole foreign exchange program?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"It was amazing!" she said happily as she sat at the seat in front of the principal's desk again. Jesse soon followed suit. "It was difficult at first, trying to adjust to the time zone and their culture but my school mates were kind enough to help me through it. I felt a little homesick though."

"She would just have to finish a few things with her paperwork then she could go," Principal Figgins said, interrupting their conversation. He placed a paper in front of her and a pen. "Just finish filling that out and you can go."

"Oh Principal Figgins," she said, as her eyes lit up as if she was remembering something. "I was wondering if I could ask a copy of my papers so I could show them to Mr. Schuester."

"Mr. Schuester?" Jesse asked with a confused look on his face. Comprehension immediately dawned upon him. "You're not actually considering…" He paused to gather his thoughts. "But you can't sing."

"Everyone can sing, Jesse," she said pointedly as she started to fill out the form Principal Figgins had given her. "It's just that, not everybody is necessarily good at it."

"And you're one of the few people not gifted with a good voice," Jesse pointed out as she shot him a glare. "I'm just telling the truth here."

"I have a fairly bearable voice, Jesse," she said with a huff as she finished with the form. "Could I take my copy now, Principal Figgins?"

"Just take that copy and bring it back after you show it to Schuester," Principal Figgins said with a wave of his hand. She nodded in understanding.

"Well, if you're actually serious about this," Jesse said as he stood up. She quickly followed suit, taking the form with her. "Then we better hurry. Glee practice is probably over by now."

He then casually slung his arm around her shoulders, noting the way she slightly flinched while hers found itself around his waist. "I take it you're enjoying yourself here? I am wondering though, _why are you _here Jesse?"

"You know Mom and Dad are in Bali," Jesse said with a shrug. She nodded but still looked at him, probing him to continue. "And Uncle Spence's place is in this school's district." He then reached out to open the door for her.

"Aaaanddd?" she asked, still asking for more details.

"Well…" He was interrupted when his actual reason appeared and wound her arm around his. His other companion raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Jesse, care to explain?" Rachel asked, her voice completely void of emotion. Jesse sighed. He knew Rachel was only like that if she was absolutely angry.

"Jesse?" his companion asked him with a mildly confused look on her face. She immediately shrugged away the arm that was around her shoulders. "Who's this?"

"This is Rachel," Jesse said as he slipped his arm away from Rachel's firm grasp to wrap it around her shoulders. Comprehension dawned upon her face, like the way it did on him earlier. "My girlfriend. Rachel, this is…"

But he didn't get to finish his sentence because it was at that moment that she decided to grab his hand before he had the chance to introduce her properly. "Jesse, didn't you say we needed to hurry because Glee practice might be over? I want to be part of your little Glee club before the day's over!"

He was so surprised that he accidentally let go of Rachel – who let out a very audible sound of disapproval. He knew he would get in trouble for this later but he couldn't possibly deny the newcomer's request. So he just sighed and threw Rachel a very apologetic glance, pleading that she understood. Her eyes softened as she took Jesse's other free hand.

"Come on, then," Rachel said in a resigned tone. "If we're lucky enough, Finn might still be around and so will Mr. Schuester. I think that you can try out with the two co-captains present."

With that, her eyes brightened and she grinned happily. As Rachel started to lead the way towards the Glee club room, she followed silently. Rachel had begun to chat away, talking about countless of ideas for song numbers and dance numbers, and she listened patiently. She kept on glancing at Jesse, trying to see if he was getting annoyed by her countless chatter but he seemed completely devoted to whatever saying and even occasionally chimed in some suggestion.

She found herself smiling thoughtfully at this. If Jesse was happy, then so was she. It was as simple as that.

Rachel had suddenly stopped in front of a room so she assumed that they had arrived at their destination. Rachel pushed the door open and sighed in relief when she saw everyone in the club, except for Puck and Quinn, was still in the room, rehearsing for their new dance number.

"Guys," Rachel started but she was completely ignored. She knew it was because not much of the glee club were dancers so they were having a little difficulty learning the dance but it was important. So she took in a deep breath and with as much volume as she could muster, suddenly shouted, "GUYS!"

They immediately stilled their actions as Mr. Schuester stopped the music. They all turned to her with irritated looks while their coach sighed. "What is it, Rachel?"

"There's someone here to try out," she said with a smile as she stepped aside, pulling Jesse with her, to show the newcomer. She looked around the room with curious eyes but when she felt their eyes on her, she shifted uncomfortably.

"She just transferred here," Jesse supplied as the other Glee clubbers turned to look at him. Their eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Another Vocal Adrenaline snitch?" Santana sneered viciously.

Rachel felt Jesse grow rigid beside her. She watched as the younger girl held her head up high. "I wasn't even in Vocal Adrenaline, and I merely wanted to join."

"Great!" Mercedes exclaimed. "I have finally lost all hope for getting a solo."

"I'm not here to steal any solos," she admitted as Mercedes turned to look at her. "I know the quality of my voice and I know that it's only worth back-up vocals. I just thought you needed another person. And here's the form, if you're still thinking that I'm another spy. I officially study here in McKinley." She walked towards Mr. Schuester and gave him the form.

"Well, at least you have more fashion sense than a certain female lead I know," Kurt interrupted as he scanned her outfit before throwing Rachel a pointed look. Rachel returned the look with a scathing one.

"Come on now guys," Mr. Schuester said. "Let's be fair and let her try out." He then scanned her form for her name. He looked surprised as he saw her last name. "Okay then, Arisande…"

"Arissa," she interrupted as she blushed lightly. "Please call me Arissa."

"Okay then, Arissa," Will said as he returned her form. She took it and put it inside her bag. "Let's see what you got." He then stepped aside as she started towards the piano but not before she heard Rachel whisper, _Brad's always just around_.

She smiled at that before she searched her bag for the sheet music that she printed out last night. She gave Brad the sheet music and walked over to the band and gave them copies too. She put her bag down before facing the glee club, who had sat down at Mr. Schuester's request.

Rachel raised her eyes in surprise when the familiar intro notes of My Junk started to fill the room.

"_In the midst of this nothing, this miss of a life_," she started to sing as she tried to familiarize herself with the feeling of performing in front of an audience. Rachel noted how though she didn't have the strength of Lea Michele's voice, she had the same tone as Phoebe Strole's feminine voice that got her through with singing those mildly high notes. "_Still there's this one thing just to see you go by_."

She watched as she turned to Jesse as she sang the next few lines, "_It's almost like loving, as sad as that is. May not be cool but it's so where I live._" Rachel found herself smiling, though she really should be raving mad, when she sent a little wink in his direction which he chuckled at. Rachel watched with amusement as she started to act out the lyrics with her dramatics and she noticed how much she and Jesse were so alike. "_It's like I'm your lover or more like your ghost, I spend the day wondering what you do where you go."_

"_I try and just kick it but then what can I do_?" Even the other glee clubbers who were wary of her found themselves smiling at the little shrug she did at the last word. "_We've all got our junk and my junk is you_."

As the pace picked up, she could see how she was getting used to performing in front of them because she started to move with the music. She didn't have the grace of a ballerina and her voice mildly – by mildly, that means it was only Rachel who noticed – suffered because of her dancing but Rachel couldn't deny it was fun watching her. She didn't show her discomfort in dancing in heels nor did the smile leave her face.

Though Rachel couldn't help the slight tremble in her voice nor could she ignore how she couldn't always reach the notes right but she suspected that with a little help, she would be flawless. She was so preoccupied with correcting her voice that she was surprised when she started to walk towards her and Jesse, urging everyone to join her.

"_See us, winter walking after a storm_." Rachel was the only one who knew the lyrics by heart and Arissa shot her a grateful look. She even started to dance along with her when she noticed Jesse doing the same. "_It's chill in the wind but it's warm in your arms. We stop all snow blind, may not be true_." At this point, even Kurt and Mercedes couldn't help but join in and pick up a copy of the song. Even Matt and Mike couldn't resist the random dancing they were doing. "_We've all got our junk but my junk is you_."

"_Well, you'll have to excuse me, I know it's so off_," Kurt started to sing. Rachel was surprised at how fast he could pick up the tone of the song. She also couldn't help but giggle a bit as Kurt started to send not so subtle looks towards Finn's direction that the jock fidgeted and looked away. "_I love when you do stuff that's rude and so wrong._"

''_I go up to my room, turn the stereo on," _Jesse sang along as he wrapped an arm around Arissa. Rachel watched them and couldn't shrug off the sense of similarity between them. "_Shoot up some you, in the you of some song._"

_"I lie back just drifting and play out these scenes,_" Mercedes sang as she glanced at the lyrics. _"I ride on the rush all the hopes, all the dreams_."

"_I may be neglecting the things I should do_," Arissa sang and Rachel marveled at how perfect her voice was for Anna's part. "_We've all got our junk and my junk is you!_"

"_See we keep talkin' after you're gone_," Rachel and Jesse sang together as he walked over to her. "_You still with me then feels so good in your arms_." He gave her a little twirl as she spun into his open arms. Rachel laughed but still continued on with the song. At this point, everyone – well, except for Finn and Santana who were both wary of the new girl - joined in with the singing. "_They say you go blind! Maybe it's true. We've all got our junk and my junk is you_."

"_Oh, it's like we stop time!_" they all sang as their dancing became livelier with the girls bouncing and the boys spinning. "_What can I do? We've all got our junk and my junk is you. My junk is you. My junk is you. You! You! You!"_

As the song ended, everyone started to cheer. Rachel heard Arissa let out a tiny squeal as Jesse picked her up and twirled her around. She laughed and begged for him to put her down. When her feet touched the ground again, she turned to the Glee club.

"I guess that's a yes then?" she asked with a laugh. Everyone looked at each other before shrugging.

Mr. Schuester walked over to her and said, "Welcome to the club, Arissa." Arissa smiled but flinched when Mr. Schuester suddenly patted her on the back. Her cheery demeanor quickly returned, making Rachel wonder if she just imagined her flinching. _But it definitely happened_, Rachel told herself.

"Where has this performer side of you been hiding all along?" Jesse asked her teasingly as she shrugged at him.

"Never found a reason to show it," Arissa said with a smile. "I'm an artist, Jesse. Sure, I could act but I was pretty sure I couldn't sing or dance. I mean, you're already a performer for both of us."

"Arissa, could I possibly give you a few pointers that could act as constructive criticism?" Rachel asked tentatively. Arissa shot Jesse a questioning look which he returned with a shrug before she nodded.

"I'll go gather your things," Jesse said as he walked away to give the girls some privacy. Rachel gave him a thankful glance which he returned with a look that clearly said "_go easy on her_".

"I will go straight to the point," Rachel said slowly. The other girl nodded. "You don't have the strength of Lea Michele's voice but you do have the femininity and gentleness of Phoebe Strole's voice which is why your voice fit Anna's parts perfectly. Your pitch is slightly off and your breathing technique is terrible but I suspect that a few lessons from yours truly can correct that. And perhaps a few rounds in the ballet studio could help your gracefulness." Rachel paused, waiting for the indignant explosion that would sure follow. But the younger girl kept quiet and just nodded. "But you have talent, you do. It just needs some work. And I mean, you have what we had when we won Sectionals. You have heart and you definitely know how to bring fun in your performance."

"Thank you," she said quietly but gratefully. "I would be honored to have those voice lessons with you. But I guess this will prove that I'm not after any solos."

Rachel laughed at that. "Believe me, after a few lessons with me, you'll be belting Celine Dion flawlessly."

Arissa nodded and grinned but her smile fell when she noticed that the suspicious looks were back. "I don't think they like me."

"Don't worry," Rachel said. "I experience that _everyday _and I've been with them for quite some time. But I think they're going to tolerate you because they know you're in no shape to steal solos."

Arissa couldn't help but laugh at that. "You're a fan of Spring Awakening?"

"Are you kidding me?" Rachel asked her as her eyes lit up. "A coming-of-age story about teenagers struggling with sexuality, depression about pressure and abuse - it's genius."

"Hm," she said thoughtfully as she sent Jesse a glance. He looked away guiltily as he approached them and gave Arissa her bag. She leaned over and whispered quietly, "So _that's _why you wanted to borrow my Spring Awakening soundtrack."

"Hush," Jesse told her quietly.

"So you and Jesse seem to be close friends," Rachel started conversationally.

"It's more than that actually," Jesse said with a smile as his arm wound around her shoulders again. Rachel's smile fell from her face. If they were exes, Rachel couldn't possibly compete with someone like her – someone who shared so much with Jesse.

But instead, Arissa stepped away from his arms and held out her hand. "I'm Arissa St. James." Rachel looked up at her, surprised and confused at the same time. _St. James? _she asked herself in her thoughts. _Oh, God. No._" I'm Jesse's younger sister."

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, PHEW. I finally finished this. I've always wanted to give Jesse some back story because he's my favorite character (even if he's acting like a _complete_ douche in the coming episode). And I've always wanted to give Rachel a friend (and I couldn't do that with existing characters without destroying their characterization _completely_.) I've always loved guys with close bonds with their siblings, especially with their little sisters (but that may be just my longing for an older brother) so I made Arissa. Her name was originally going to be Jessica but that would be cliché in two ways. One, Jesse and Jessica are like twins and they're in no way twins (and I cringe at that. XD) And _my name _is Jessica so that would automatically make my character a Mary Sue just by naming her.

Just in case you're wondering, Arissa is a few months younger than Rachel making her a freshman (and I'm still struggling with the fact that Rachel was born in 1994. O_O). And her full name is Arisande Ophelia St. James.

And I know that My Junk has no piano part in it whatsoever but Brad is always around and it would be a shame if he wasn't used. XD

And the Glee club members aren't fond of her yet. Like Rachel said, they're going to tolerate her because of two things. It's another person for the dance routine and she's not out for any solos. But they're going to treat her the same way they treat Jesse because they're still convinced that she's a spy.

So that's it. And I know you hate it when authors give you ultimatums but let's try to keep the review count to ten before I update? Because I would really appreciate to know your feedback. Even concrit is completely welcomed.


	2. I Can Fly But I Want His Wings

**Chapter 2: **I Can Fly But I Want His Wings

**A/N: **So if I understand correctly, Jesse is eighteen (since he's a senior) so if Arissa is three years younger than him it makes her fifteen (since her birthday is in February but I absolutely have no idea what time of the year it is in Glee so I'll just make her fifteen). And there is a slight reference to my fic, "Set Me Free, Leave Me Be" in the bathroom scene.

I forgot to mention it in the earlier chapter but this is set before "Funk" (considering because of the switch, Theatricality is now before Funk). I _will _(and _have to_) address the "issue" (Funk – Vocal Adrenaline promo viewers, you know what I mean) in this story but it wouldn't happen until later chapters.

And since this is after Theatricality, I suspect that (since Jesse had his Spring Break with the VA people) Glee is now set post-March or April-ish? So I'll set this around April (which means that Arissa was in London from October to April-ish and that's roughly around seven months and I know that student exchange programs don't accept anyone younger than 15 _but _in my story, the St. James family is well-off enough to pull some strings for their daughter and she turns 15 while she's in student exchange program anyways). I don't study in America and our system is different here in my country so I apologize for any factual errors. I thank hmsharmony from LiveJournal for telling me the exact months of Spring Break.

And Arissa being in London (and Jesse not being open about his personal life) is the whole reason why she doesn't know Rachel. Because when Jesse met Rachel, she was at London.

Title of the chapter comes from Gabriel by Lamb (which I think is the whole summary of Arissa and Jesse's relationship.) The title of the story comes from a Foo Fighters song of the same name.

There's also a line that references a line from Vampire Diaries. (But it's not the exact line.)

And just so you know, I'm completely rubbish at characterization so if Rachel and/or Jesse seem off to you...it's completely my fault.

Summary comes from a quote by Barbara Alpert (and I absolutely need to stop with these UNREASONABLY long author's notes.)

**Warnings: **Rated for future chapters and a future storyline. =)

**Disclaimer: **I sadly don't own Glee because if I did, Jesse and Rachel would be endgame (but Jesse would still transfer back to Vocal Adrenaline –because he wouldn't be Jesse if he didn't - but will prove to Rachel through a public declaration that he loves her and will do anything to win her back). And Jonathan Groff would be in Glee _forever_. And I also don't own the song Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace by the Foo Fighters. I'm merely borrowing it to title my fic (because I'm rubbish at titles.) I also don't own Gabriel by Lamb. (Which is like Arissa and Jesse's theme song. XD)

* * *

"_I can fly, but I want his wings_

_I can shine even in the darkness but I crave the light that he brings_

_Revel in the songs that he sings _

_My angel Gabriel"_

_Gabriel ; Lamb_

"Why didn't you tell me that you had a younger sister?" Rachel asked Jesse while they waited for Arissa at the parking lot. Apparently, their Aunt Eliza had dropped her off at McKinley earlier but had expected that Jesse would drive her back home.

"I honestly didn't think it was necessary," Jesse admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't expect her to come back this soon and I've always expected that she would stay in Carmel High."

Rachel couldn't deny it. His response stung – a_ lot_. But she ignored that familiar ache in her heart - the ache that was brought by Jesse's inability to let her in his life – and focused on the problem at hand. For once, Rachel will not put herself first. "Why did you expect that she would stay at Carmel High?"

"Carmel High has the most exclusive arts program in the district," Jesse said matter-of-factly. "And like my sister said earlier, she wasn't part of Vocal Adrenaline because she's not a performer. She's an artist and she has a scholarship for the next four years at Carmel High."

"Wouldn't your parents be mad that she let that go?" Rachel asked at her eyes widened at everything the younger girl had dropped just so she would be with her brother.

"I don't think so," Jesse said truthfully. "My parents could handle paying for her education, the way that they could handle paying for UCLA."

Rachel was about to tell him how easy he –_they –_ had it but Arissa chose that time to come out of the school. Rachel's eyes widened as she saw the state she was in.

"Apparently, some jocks have problems with Glee kids," Arissa said as she walked over to them with her upper torso – and face – mildly covered in apple-flavored slushie. Some parts of her dress and her face were slightly wet, indicating that she tried to wash off as much of the sticky beverage off of her before giving up.

"You're covered in slushie," Jesse stated because his incoherency decided to show up _now_. He was completely speechless just by seeing his little sister suffer the consequences of being in Glee club in McKinley High.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Jesse," Arissa stated sarcastically as she tried to wipe off the remaining slushie on her face, and even some that found themselves on her hair.

"But how did they know so fast?" Rachel asked as Jesse sighed and took off his jacket to offer it to his little sister. _This _was why he didn't want her to transfer in the first place. He knew how difficult it was to get the stains off their clothing. When he had witnessed it firsthand, when _his girlfriend _was the one who was slushied, he became white with _fury_. But Rachel begged for him to let it go, made him promise that he wouldn't do anything about it (and not to mention she gave him those puppy eyed looks that made him cave) and he let it go. But now that it was his little sister that was slushied, he didn't know if he could let this one slip.

"They said something about a blog?" Arissa said with mild confusion as she took her brother's jacket gratefully. She brushed her sticky hair away from her face.

"I should teach those guys a lesson," Jesse said as he clenched his fists. He, of course, never got slushied in his entire stay in McKinley. He may seem slightly gay with the show tunes and hair gel but the jocks knew better than to piss off one Jesse St. James because he had a mean right hook.

"Jesse, don't," Arissa said warningly but her eyes said something entirely different. He sighed and looked away. He knew where she was getting at. "Remember what happened last time? And it's just slushies. It will come off. It's not worth a suspension."

"Last time?" Rachel asked aloud. _Suspension? _She asked herself in her thoughts.

"It's nothing, Rach," Jesse said with a sigh as he put his hands in his pockets. Maybe he'd find a way to get back at those jocks for doing this to two of the most important girls in his life.

"Though what I'm wondering about is what these jocks are doing in school after school hours," Arissa said, trying to change the subject.

"They probably served detention then scored some slushies in the nearby store," Jesse said as Arissa untied the scarf from her neck so she could use it as a handkerchief. She immediately stilled her movements as she tied it back again but not before he noticed the familiar marks on the side of her neck. He closed his eyes and looked away.

Rachel noticed the tension in the air and tried to change the topic. "If it was a blog then it must be Jacob. Seriously, sometimes I think about slapping a law suit on him."

Arissa smiled at the sudden vigor in her voice. "We should probably get home now. I feel so sticky that I'm scared that ants will start coming my way."

"We should probably stop over at my house first," Rachel suggested as they all started for Jesse's car. "I don't think your aunt would appreciate it if you looked like that. I could help you with the stains on your dress."

"I would appreciate that," Arissa said gratefully and Rachel smiled at her before taking a seat in the passenger side of the car. Arissa, on the other hand, sat on the back seat while Jesse sat in the driver's seat. She leaned forward before her brother started the engine, deciding to tease him. "And it's actually not a dress."

Rachel and Jesse looked at her in confusion. "Then what is it?" Jesse asked tentatively.

She smirked and leaned back with her hands behind her head. "It's a tank top."

"I agree, Rachel," Jesse said as he started the engine. "We should definitely stop over at your house first to find my sister something that's long enough to cover every part of her body."

* * *

"So if you have an aunt that's in Carmel High's school district, why did you stay with your uncle to go to McKinley?" Rachel asked as she steadily held her pink handheld shower over Arissa's light brown hair to get rid of the slushie that still remained. They were currently in her – yes, _pink_ – bathroom with Arissa sitting on a stool while leaning back at the bathtub, Rachel sitting on the edge of the bathtub to rinse her hair and Jesse leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

Rachel noticed that Arissa was shaking. With a concerned glance, she realized that she was _laughing_. "Jesse had an unfortunate experience with Aunt Eliza's daughter."

"You mean when she tried to rape me or when she tried to slip me one of those absurdly fake and god-awful tasting love potions?" Jesse asked with a frown as Arissa laughed even louder. "It's not funny."

"Both," Arissa said as Rachel gave her a towel, signaling that it was alright for her to sit up now. She took the towel and started to pat her hair dry.

"She tried to rape you?_"_ Rachel asked with a grin as she stared at Jesse – completely missing seeing Arissa wince at the sound of the word.

"Every night while we were staying with them when we were younger," Jesse started as he straightened up and tried to explain. "Monique would sneak into my bedroom and just try to deflower me. She would just literally come into my bed and try to seduce me or whatever. I was fifteen at that time and Arissa was twelve. The only salvation I had was whenever Arissa would sneak into my room and come to bed with me whenever there was a thunderstorm."

"And that is why I got so used to sleeping with him, in a non-sexual way of course because that would be just disgusting, whenever there was a thunderstorm," Arissa said matter-of-factly. "I'm completely terrified of thunder while Jesse is terrified of lightning."

"_Lightning_?" Rachel asked as she bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing.

"I'm not _terrified _of lightning," Jesse disagreed indignantly as Arissa murmured a sentence of disbelief. "I _hate _lightning. There's a difference between fear and hatred."

"Whatever you say, Jesse," Arissa said with mirth in her tone.

"Why are you so keen on making my life miserable, Arisande?" Jesse asked as Rachel watched their banter with amusement.

"I'm your little sister," Arissa said simply as she grinned at Jesse. "And my job is to make your life completely miserable either by embarrassing you through horrible childhood stories or just by being snarky and sarcastic."

"Well, you're doing a spot on job then," Jesse said grudgingly as Rachel laughed at the pout he gave Arissa. She rolled her eyes at her brother's immaturity.

"I have no idea why you're staying with him," Arissa told Rachel as she shrugged. It was at that instant that Jesse grabbed a roll of tissue and threw it at Arissa's head. "HEY!"

"So why do you hate lightning?" Rachel asked as Arissa picked up the roll of tissue and set it aside.

"There's just that feeling of anticipating something that you're not even sure will come back that irks me," Jesse said with a shrug. "When lightning comes, I'm completely fascinated by it but it catches me off-guard whenever it comes which is probably why _someone _thinks I'm afraid of lightning." Arissa just stared back at him innocently. "And when it goes, I keep on hoping it would come back and just that feeling of _waiting_… I don't like it."

"And it is proven that my brother is not as shallow as a kiddie pool," Arissa announced. Apparently, the older boy had enough because he stalked over to her, grabbed Rachel's handheld shower and sprayed water all over Arissa. "JESSE!"

"Does that quench your curiosity?" Jesse asked Rachel, ignoring his sister completely. Arissa stood up and grabbed the handheld shower from him and tried to spray water on him but he became surprisingly nimble and avoided the water. _Rachel _was the one who ended up getting hit by the water.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Arissa said apologetically but she couldn't help it. She erupted into a fit of giggles at the sight of her brother's girlfriend covered in water.

"Arissa!" Rachel said as she flicked her hands to get rid of the excess water on her. She didn't seem offended though, Arissa noted with relief. In fact, she was slightly amused by it.

The younger girl was surprised when Jesse walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Get her, Rachel!" She tried to wiggle out of his grasp but her brother was far too strong.

Rachel stalked over to her mischievously and took the handheld shower. She aimed the nozzle at her face but before the water even touched her, she ducked. Jesse sputtered out the water that came in contact with him in disbelief.

"I think it's time to call it even, don't you think?" Arissa suggested lightly as they all stared at each other. They all laughed and nodded simultaneously.

"I'll go get you some dry clothing," Rachel said as she disappeared back into her room, leaving the two siblings in the bathroom.

"She seems sweet, Jesse," Arissa commented lightly. "But she also seems to be one of those girls who are extremely fragile."

"Don't go there, Arissa," Jesse said warningly.

"I'm just reminding you of your promise to me," Arissa said with a shrug. "I've only known her for a few hours and I already want to keep her around. What you have with her is already serious, Jesse. She's in this too deep now for you to back out. She's not one of your flings that you can just set aside whenever you want to."

"I know, okay?" Jesse said in exasperation. "I'm not going to hurt her, Arissa. I actually like her. I won't treat her the way I treated Sophie or Tanya, okay?"

"Good," Arissa said, looking contented with his answer.

When she didn't say anything else, he tried to change the subject. "The marks haven't vanished yet, have they?" he said casually. She raised her eyes, looking both alarmed and confused. "I saw the ones on your neck."

"The ones on my arms are gone," Arissa said with a sigh. "But the doctor did say that the ones one my neck would take longer to heal because they were deeper."

Jesse just nodded and Arissa understood his desire to not explore the topic any further. It had always been a touchy subject between them. How could it not be? So they just stood there in silence, waiting for Rachel to come back.

"I'm sorry if I took so long. I _had _to turn my closet upside down to find a shirt that doesn't have an animal on it," Rachel said as she offered Arissa a blue top that had a floral print on the upper part and a plaid skirt. She noticed that Rachel had a new shirt on and she felt mildly guilty for spraying water on her in the first place. "Now, come on Jesse. Let your sister change out of those wet clothes."

Jesse nodded and followed her out of the room. He was halfway out of the bathroom when he heard Arissa say, "Please don't make any smooch-y sounds while I'm in the bathroom." He snuck back in to childishly stick his tongue out at her.

* * *

"Would you like some cheese to go with your omelette?" Rachel asked as she raided their kitchen for something to eat. She had insisted that they all grab a bite while waiting for Arissa's clothes to dry. "I know Jesse would want some cilantro and ham in his but I don't know what you would want."

Arissa raised an eyebrow at how much Rachel knew her brother. "Cheese would be fine, Rachel." Jesse helped her up the counter, like he always did when they were little kids.

"So, you're a freshman right?" Rachel asked conversationally as she waited for the pan to heat up. When she was satisfied with the temperature, she put the butter to melt it.

Arissa nodded. "I just turned fifteen last February. My brother was slightly irked by the fact that he couldn't celebrate it with me since I was in London."

"So that's why you were in such a foul mood," Rachel said teasingly. "I always thought that you were still mad at me because of the whole Run, Joey, Run incident."

"Run, Joey, Run?" Arissa asked, a little confused. Then her eyes widened with disbelief. "Oh my God, please don't tell me you sang that song. That was _like _one of the worst songs ever written."

"Well, Rachel wanted to do a video for an assignment in Glee club," Jesse started, slightly hesitant about talking about the touchy subject again. "And she ended up casting two other guys, aside from yours truly, to play the boyfriend."

"Oooh, bad move," Arissa commented.

"Then he ended up not talking to me for a week or so," Rachel said as she expertly flipped the egg on the pan. "He even went to Spring Break with Vocal Adrenaline to purposely avoid me."

"I did _not_," Jesse said indignantly. "I already made plans with them before I transferred to McKinley. And I couldn't just cancel. They were my friends."

Noticing the heavy tension in the air, Arissa tried to change the subject. "Okay, let's change the subject."

"Real subtle, Arissa," Jesse said teasingly. Arissa just rolled her eyes.

"Did you know my brother could play the piano?" Arissa said suddenly.

Rachel smiled as she offered her the plate of cheese omelette while she settled the plate of cilantro and ham omelette in front of Jesse. She grabbed a chair and settled beside her boyfriend so they could share with Jesse setting aside the ham and Rachel eating the bits with the cilantro. "Yes, I do."

"I played the piano in the book store where we met," Jesse said as he took a bite of the omelette. "This is so good, Rach."

"Please tell me you didn't do one of those impromptu concerts again," Arissa said, looking a tad bit embarrassed. "He used to do it _all _the time when we were kids. He mostly does it in the park where he would just stand on top of a picnic bench and start singing. It's very High School Musical."

"I might have to kill you for comparing me to Troy Bolton," Jesse told her.

"Who said I was comparing you to Troy?" Arissa asked. "I was actually thinking more along the lines of Sharpay, considering your drama king tendencies." As a result, Jesse reached out and pinched her thigh. "Ouch!" In retaliation, she reached out and smacked him on the shoulder. "Anyways, what song did you sing?"

"Hello by Lionel Richie," Rachel said with a smile on her face, probably remembering the way that they met. Arissa's eyes softened at that and she seemed genuinely touched. She also turned to Jesse and gave him a look that clearly said, 'you better mean it when you said you wouldn't hurt her' which Rachel completely missed. "I always envied him for his piano skills."

"You did?" Jesse asked, looking interested.

"If there's one lesson that my dads didn't enroll me in, it's piano," Rachel said with a slight laugh. "I wanted to focus on vocals and dancing."

"Wait, _dads_?" Arissa asked in surprise.

"I have two gay dads," Rachel said proudly.

"You sure know how to pick 'em, Jesse," Arissa said with a laugh. Everything about Rachel interested her. "So did you ever find out who's your Mom?"

At that, Rachel's expression became sad. Arissa turned to her brother who merely shook his head. "It was Ms. Corcoran."

"Vocal Adrenaline's coach?" Rachel noted that as she said it, her eyes flickered towards Jesse. She then turned back to Rachel who nodded in response. "Rachel, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

Rachel smiled in appreciation as she suddenly asked, "Favorite song?"

Arissa was surprised at the sudden shift in her demeanor. She then paused for a moment to think about it before a gentle smile graced her lips. "Gabriel by Lamb."

Rachel seemed surprised by her choice. "Why?"

"It reminds me of my brother," Arissa said with a shrug as she and Jesse exchanged a look. Rachel saw a glimpse of sadness cross Jesse's features before it disappeared completely. Something about that look was telling Rachel that maybe the two siblings were hiding something important from her. Arissa had distracted her from her train of thought when she started to sing a few lines from the song. "_I can shine even in the darkness but I crave the light that he brings. Revel in the songs that he sings. My angel Gabriel. I can love but I need his heart. I am strong even on my own, but from him I never want to part. He's been there since the very start. Oh, my angel Gabriel._"

"You can be such a kiss-up," Jesse said as he messed up her hair, earning a yelp from her. But somehow, Rachel could feel that there was an underlying message in what Arissa said. Because she knows that beneath that happy smile, the girl was hiding a secret.

And Rachel intended to find out what that secret is.

* * *

**A/N: **I have _complete_ proof that a tank top could be as long as a dress. The link to Arissa's outfit (and her mini-biography) is in my profile. =) And okay, I lied. I said there would be more St. Berry in this chapter but I couldn't help it. Plus, I'm still trying to figure out how in the world I'm going to tackle this whole Rachel-knows-about-her-mom-while-Jesse-is-still-in-New-Directions. (Damn you Glee and your continuity issues.) And yes, Arissa's (and Jesse's) secret has something to do with why she flinches whenever a guy touches her. I hope I'm not giving too much away.

And I know that Arissa's character did a total 180 (or 360) from her character in the chapter before but you have to know that she's trying to get on Rachel's good side. This is who she is. Snarky and a little sarcastic.

If you have any St. Berry suggestions, just drop me a line and I'll consider it. =D How about we get that review count to fifteen? I would love you if you did.


	3. How A Resurrection Really Feels

**Chapter 3: **How a Resurrection Really Feels

**A/N: **This is set a few days after Chapter Two and Arissa has already moved in with Jesse and their uncle. Still set before Funk (because I still can't address the issue before Arissa and Rachel's friendship has been properly established.) And if my fluffy St. Berry seems off, it's Funk's fault. I can't write St. Berry fluff after what happened. The chapter updates may be less frequent in the coming days because I'm going back to school on the seventh. My final year of high school. There's also one line here that references a line from One Tree Hill. And they have an Uncle Spencer because I _firmly _believe that there is actually an uncle. XD And my writing job became harder because I recently found out that Rachel was vegan, which made me go WTF BTW, so I had to find a vegan dish for her.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Glee because if I did, I wouldn't butcher Jesse's character that much. I also don't own "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace" by The Foo Fighters nor do I own "How a Resurrection Really Feels" by The Hold Steady.

* * *

"What are you wearing?" Arissa exclaimed as she saw Jesse changing for his date with Rachel. And by date, he meant another re-watch of Rent, Funny Girl or Grease over at her house. Not that he minded or anything. But ever since his sister moved in with his uncle to be in same district as McKinley, he didn't have time to be with Rachel. "You're going to a date, Jesse _not _a funeral."

Jesse threw his sister a look. "Black looks good on me."

Arissa looked at him like he had three heads. "You're kidding right?" When he just shrugged, she let out a long sigh and walked into his room towards his closet. "Take off your shirt."

"I don't think that's appropriate," Jesse said teasingly.

Arissa rolled her eyes as she tossed him a blue shirt. "Take off your shirt and put _that _on. It's not like I haven't seen you shirtless before. And black does not look good on you. You always look like someone died and you're mourning for them. You are _not _in mourning, Jesse. You are in love. Wear some color."

Jesse took off his black shirt and started to button up the shirt that his sister gave him. When he finished buttoning the shirt up, leaving the top two buttons undone of course, Arissa walked up to him and straightened his collar.

"You really like her, don't you?" she asked suddenly. Jesse raised his eyes to meet his sister's. "I can feel it. I mean, if you were playing with her, I would've known. You _are _my brother after all. But Rachel seems different."

"I do. I really do." Jesse laughed at how lovestruck he sounded. "And it's not just because she can keep up with me or because she understands me but god, Arissa. When she sings, she gives herself out to the world. And that scares me because I don't want her to get hurt. She has this light in her eyes and it brightens whenever she sees me. She has her whole faith in me. She makes me feel loved. She's an open book and I guess that's what I…"

Arissa waited for him to continue but his phone suddenly rang. She sighed and went over to answer it without looking at the caller ID. "Hey there, you've reached Jesse St. James' phone. This is Arissa St. James speaking. Who is this?" Jesse laughed because she completely sounded like a receptionist. He watched as her eyes widened. "Hi Mom."

Jesse's smile vanished from his face completely as he followed his little sister as she sat on the bed. He settled himself next to her.

"I just got back from London a few days ago. I'm sorry if I didn't call." She paused for a moment, listening to the other line. "I'm staying over at Uncle Spencer's place with Jesse." Jesse watched as her jaw tightened at something their mother said. "Mom, that's completely unnecessary!" He raised an eyebrow at her which she returned with a shake of her head. "I don't care! Jesse can take care of me." Jesse frowned at that. His mother didn't think he could take care of his little sister. He watched as she flinched at something their mother said. "I can't believe you're bringing this up! That was _one _time –no, Mom, let me talk." Jesse sighed as their argument became heated. "You can't hold that against him forever. That's not fair, Mom! He's your son!" Arissa sighed. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Jesse looked mildly confused as she thrust the phone towards him. "Mom?" Jesse sighed as he listened to their mother's specific instructions as to what to do considering he's responsible for Arissa. "I know, Mom. Just trust me." Arissa watched him as _he_ recoiled at something their mother said. "Do you honestly think I'm going to let something like _that _happen to her again? You and Dad aren't the only ones who had to deal with that you know? You have no idea what that _day,_ what those _months _did to me."

Arissa didn't let their mother respond because it was at that moment that she snatched the phone away from her brother. "Stop it, Mom. Just enjoy your stay at Bali, trust your son and stop being irrational. Oh and by the way, I dropped out of the arts program in Carmel. Goodbye, mother." And with that, she snapped the phone shut and hung up on her mother.

"I think I'll cancel that date with Rachel," Jesse said with a sigh. He was _trying so hard_ to redeem himself in his parents' eyes after that incident but they were so keen on not forgiving him.

Arissa shook her head vehemently."No, Jesse. What mom said was irrational so don't let that get in the way of your day with Rachel."

"But…" Jesse started weakly. _What about you_? Jesse asked through his eyes.

"Jesse, I'm not in Carmel anymore," Arissa said with a sigh. "Kyle…" Jesse could almost see her shutting down right in front of his very eyes. "Kyle's gone. You have _nothing _to worry about."

Jesse nodded. "Okay, but if you need _anything _I'm on speed dial. There's food in the fridge and Uncle Spence would be back in a few hours. Don't go anywhere and keep the doors locked." Arissa nodded with a smile but was surprised when Jesse suddenly enveloped her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Arissa."

Arissa sighed as she hugged him back and stepped back when he released her. She reached out and touched his cheek. "Stop, Jesse. I've told you countless of times, it wasn't your fault. It was all a product of my clouded judgment. Now, _go._ Rachel's waiting."

* * *

"You seem distracted," Rachel commented lightly as she fondly ran a hand through Jesse's hair. They were currently on the floor of Rachel's living room with Rachel leaning back on the sofa while Jesse's head was on her lap. They were watching Funny Girl for the second time in a row.

"Why'd you say that?" Jesse asked absentmindedly.

"You didn't criticize my performance of 'Don't Rain on my Parade' even if I missed a note." Rachel didn't like admitting she missed notes. Rachel Berry did _not _miss notes. But it seemed like it was the only way she'd get the attention of her boyfriend.

"You never missed notes, Rachel." Jesse said softly. He was fiddling with his phone, waiting for a call – or even a text message – from his sister.

"I _did_," Rachel said as she reached out and snatched the phone from Jesse's hands. "Now what is it that's bothering you so much that you didn't even notice that I missed a note?"

Jesse sighed. It was no use lying to her. "My mom called earlier." He could feel Rachel stiffening. "And no, they're _not _transferring me back to Carmel."

"Oh," Rachel said softly as she relaxed slightly. "What did you talk about?" Rachel listened to his silence. She looked down and saw his face crunched up in concentration, as if he was weighing his words carefully. "Jesse?"

"They don't trust me to take care of Arissa," Jesse blurted out suddenly. Rachel frowned as she saw his face fall. "That's why I'm so distracted. I'm waiting for her to call in case something's wrong."

Rachel honestly didn't know what to say. So she reached out with her free hand for the remote to turn off the TV to offer him time to think. She also placed his phone on the sofa. "I think you can do it," she said quietly.

"From you, that means everything," Jesse said with a smile.

"But in all seriousness, Jesse," Rachel said as she continued to run a hand through his hair. Jesse closed his eyes and hummed in contentment. "You can do it. I can see how much you adore your little sister."

"Tell that to my parents," Jesse said with a sigh. "I swear, I am going to be the least surprised person in Uncle Spence's household if they turn up at the doorstep to bring us back home." Rachel tensed up again and stilled the hand that was running through his hair. Jesse sighed as he looked up at her and saw that her eyes were closed. "Rachel…"

"I'm sorry," Rachel said as she looked away from him. "I know that it's not fair of me to pull of the dramatics when you clearly have a bigger problem at hand."

"Rach," Jesse said softly, trying to coax her into looking at him. She didn't budge. "Rach, I'm not going anywhere."

"You're going to UCLA after you graduate," Rachel said, in a weak attempt to smile. Jesse sighed and she finally looked at him. "Sorry, that wasn't fair."

"You know what I mean, Rachel," Jesse said as he nudged her with his shoulder – and it was not easy – teasingly. That cracked up a smile from her. "Come here."

Getting the hint, Rachel started to lean towards him. Her long hair tickled him but he found out that it was just one of the many things that he liked about Rachel. As her lips brushed against his ever so slightly, teasing him, he emitted a growl that made Rachel laugh. He shifted his body so he could be the one to lean towards her. Her small hands found themselves on his chest, clutching at the fabric of his shirt. And as he kissed her - with their lips synchronizing perfectly – he noticed that she tasted like buttered popcorn.

He was surprised when Rachel's tongue found itself in his mouth. Normally, he was the forward one. But as her tongue fought his for dominance, he found that he didn't mind when Rachel was the one being forward. It felt _good_. But when he felt her hands unbuttoning his shirt, his hands instantly went up to her hands and he pulled away.

"Rachel," he breathed out. Rachel blinked at him, still in a haze. "Rachel, stop. If you…I don't know if I'll be able to stop."

"Stop thinking, Jesse," she said in a breathy voice. "Just let me distract you for a moment. Stop thinking and let me kiss you."

Wit h that, she leaned forward and captured his lips in a bruising kiss. She could feel him surrendering and when he let her hands go, she finished unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. She pulled away to stare at his bare chest, with her curious hands touching every surface she could reach. He noticed her amazement and Jesse smirked as he felt his ego swell with pride. He tilted her head so he could kiss her again.

He was in the middle of pulling her shirt over her head when his phone rang.

"_DAMN IT_," he exclaimed as Rachel jumped away at the sound of his phone. Rachel merely laughed as she adjusted her shirt again. The mood was ruined.

He found the urge to throw his phone against the wall.

He grabbed his phone and cursed. Out of all the times that she should have called, _she called _when he wasn't expecting her call.

"Arissa, you better have a good excuse as to why you're calling me right now," he muttered as he finally found his composure. He put on his shirt with much difficulty.

"You told me to call if I needed anything," she said pointedly. Jesse sighed. "Uncle Spence's asking what time you'll be home for dinner."

Jesse glanced at Rachel and mouthed _dinner_. She nodded in understanding. "Around seven, I guess."

"Okay," she said. He was going to hang up when his sister's voice came up again, "Why were you so mad when you answered?" She asked softly. He paused for a moment, trying to make _her realize _and just as he was about to answer, she let out a gasp. He could almost see her eyes widening. "Oh my God, _ew_. You guys were snogging?"

Jesse closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Arisande, you're not in England anymore. _Stop _saying British terms like snogging." At the sound of the word, Rachel blushed.

"Right, sorry," Arissa said. "You guys were _making out _then."

"Yes, _Arisande_," Jesse said as he struggled to maintain his patience. "That's what people in a relationship do. They go on dates and they make out. But the difference between other couples and Rachel and me? They don't have an annoying little sister to interrupt them while they're on a date."

"Oh my God," Rachel said as she buried her face in her hands.

"You did say I should call if I needed anything," Arissa said with a huff. "I mean what if I was choking or what if I suddenly had a heart attack?"

Jesse pinched the bridge of his nose harder. He didn't dare to say that if she _was _experiencing one of those things, she wouldn't have the energy to call him in the first place. "Goodbye, Arissa."

"Jesse St. James, don't you dare hang up—" She was cut off when Jesse hung up his phone.

"Come to my house for dinner?" Jesse asked to break the awkward silence.

"But..." Rachel started but truth to be told, she really didn't have a reason why she shouldn't go. She would be alone in house because her dads were away on a trip until tomorrow night.

"Rachel, your dads won't be home until tomorrow night," Jesse pleaded. "You know what? Bring an overnight bag. I don't feel right leaving you here, _alone_. We have an extra room at Uncle Spence's place. You could leave a note for your fathers in case they come home early."

Rachel smiled and nodded as she stood up. "Okay. Give me a couple of minutes." She was about to go but was surprised when Jesse suddenly tugged on her arm causing her to land neatly on his lap. He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips which she returned. She laughed into his lips, which caused his tongue to slip inside her mouth. She hummed with contentment as he continued on kissing her. When she pulled away, she grinned at him. "I won't get anything done if I'm on your lap."

"I think dinner can wait," Jesse said with a smirk as he leaned over to capture her lips again.

* * *

"Uncle Spence? Arissa? We're here!" Jesse yelled from the other room. That made Arissa pause from her homework. _What did he mean by _we're_ here_? "Rachel's with me."

Arissa raised her alarmed eyes towards her uncle with her hands instantly going up to her exposed neck. She thought that since Jesse and her uncle knew how she got the marks, she could take a break from the scarves and the turtlenecks so she settled with a tank top and a hoodie with a pair of shorts. But she knew that even with her jacket zipped up, Rachel was still bound to notice the dark marks. She looked around frantically for something to cover her neck when she noticed that her Uncle Spencer still had his tie on.

"Uncle Spence!" she exclaimed as quietly as she could as she motioned for her neck. He seemed to get what she was trying to say as he removed his tie and tossed it to her. She tied it haphazardly around her neck as she grabbed the bowl of mashed potato she was eating and leaned back on her seat to appear as nonchalant as she could. Her Uncle Spencer seemed to get what she was trying to do and continued on with his cooking. "We're in the kitchen!"

When Rachel and Jesse came to view, the sight that greeted them was completely normal. Arissa had her sneaker-clad feet up the clean counter, a bowl in hand and a spoon in her mouth while an open book was upon her legs. Their Uncle Spencer was busy checking up on whatever he was cooking to even admonish his niece about putting her feet up the counter.

Rachel was actually surprised as she saw the older man. Whenever she came over at Jesse's place, he was always out at work. She always imagined that he was a young man, around twenty one or twenty three, that was still struggling with the responsibility of taking care of his niece and nephew which was the reason why he was so loose on his discipline. She also imagined that he only had a part-time job so she always thought that his lifestyle was provided with his brother's money.

_Boy_ was she wrong.

Spencer St. James was actually a man in his mid-twenties, still young and devilishly handsome, with dark and curly hair and a very strong physique. She noticed that, with his crisp white shirt and the jacket that was hanging on the back of Arissa's chair, he definitely had a job that provided a _very _generous salary. And as he turned to look at them, with a smile on his lips and his eyes crinkling slightly, she noticed that he looked like an older Jesse if it wasn't for the green eyes that were the same shade as Arissa's.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought her along. Her parents are out of town until tomorrow so I was hoping that she could stay here," Jesse said as he grabbed a spoon and started towards his sister. He took a small amount of her mashed potato and brought it to his mouth. "Mmm. Tastes good, Uncle Spence."

"Of course," Spencer said with a smile as he turned to Rachel. "You're always welcome here, Rachel."

"What's for dinner?" Jesse asked as he sneaked a hello kiss from his sister. Arissa scrunched her nose and wiped the excess spit on her cheek. Jesse chuckled at that as he ruffled Arissa's hair.

"Broccoli beef and chicken bacon roulade," Spencer said as he turned off the stove. Rachel looked alarmed at that. "And for dessert…" He trailed off to stare at his niece.

"Chocolate chip cookies," Arissa said proudly. "I baked them."

"The taste should be interesting," Jesse muttered as she reached out and punched him on the shoulder. "Ow," he muttered as he rubbed his sore shoulder. He then glanced at Rachel and noticed that she looked alarmed. It was then that he realized what she was worrying about. "I forgot. Rachel's a vegan."

"Well, I was going to be relieved that I made some mashed potatoes but I think your sister has finished the batch I made," Spencer said pointedly as the young girl looked away guiltily. "I guess it's a good thing that I also made some creamed corn, that I forbade her to touch, and some vegan fajitas."

"Long day at work huh?" Jesse asked as Spencer transferred the broccoli beef onto a serving plate. He always cooked a lot whenever he had a tough day at work.

"Terrible," Spencer said with a sigh as he rubbed his temples. It was then that the oven let out a very audible _ping_. Arissa made a move to stand but he held out a hand. "I'll get it. And would you guys mind if you set the table?"

"I call dibs on the utensils!" Arissa said as she immediately placed the bowl down and moved her book away. She jumped to her feet, nearly losing her balance along the way, and grabbed four pairs of utensils.

"I'll get the food," Jesse said as he expertly grabbed the two dishes of food. Apparently, the vegan fajitas and the creamed corn were already on the dining table.

"I guess the plates and the glasses are mine," Rachel said as she made a move to get four plates as Jesse pointed her to the right direction.

"You really don't have to do that," Spencer said as he transferred the cookies into a bowl.

"It's alright," Rachel said honestly as she balanced the four plates. "It's the least I could do."

"I'll go prepare the drinks and let these cookies cool then," Spencer said as the three teens disappeared into the dining room.

Rachel came back soon after with Arissa to get the glasses. When everything had been set, along with the two pitchers of iced tea that Spencer prepared, they all settled down into their seats – Spencer at the head, Jesse on his right and Arissa opting to stay on his left so Rachel could sit beside Jesse.

Rachel noticed that unlike any other well-off families, they actually had conversations while they were eating. It was a very comfortable environment with Arissa kicking Jesse whenever he said something inappropriate or Spencer laughing at one of their stories. Spencer may be a loose guardian but he most certainly loves his niece and nephew.

"Your sister seems very fond of covering her neck," Rachel remarked out loud without thinking. From her peripheral vision, she could see Jesse tensing. It was true though. For the past few days she knew the younger girl, if she didn't have a scarf around her neck it would be a tie, like now, or she would be wearing a turtleneck shirt. At times, she would settle for a choker and keep her long hair down to hide her neck. But she didn't think it was a big deal. Arissa's scarves or ties were like Rachel's animal sweaters. It was an affinity.

"Arissa liked covering up," Jesse said with a shrug as he tried to make it sound as nonchalant as possible. He struggled to make an excuse as to why she liked covering up. "Even as a little kid, she used to have these boa scarves or whatever you call them around her neck." He saw that Rachel was contented with his answer and he almost let out a sigh of relief. But he could see that something else was bothering her. "Rach, is there something else you wanted to know?"

"Jesse, can I ask you something?" Rachel asked him quietly as Arissa and Spencer continued on debating about something that she did not hear. Jesse turned to her and gave her his full attention. "What's your Uncle's job?"

"He's taken over one of dad's minor companies in Ohio," Jesse said as he took a sip from his glass. "The company is not in Lima so he has to drive a lot. That's why he's not always around."

Rachel was about to say something along the lines of "Oh." but their Uncle Spencer had suddenly said, "Arissa, did you remember when you and Jesse were little kids and he used to give you a piggyback ride whenever you're in a grocery store?"

Arissa laughed at the memory. "Yes. I was like five and he was eight and he would just carry me around all the while. He would never let my feet touch the ground. When little kids were in push carts, I was on my brother's back."

"I didn't mind because you weren't heavy," Jesse said, remembering. "I was so worried about you ever since I saw that documentary about those malnourished kids and…"

"You thought I was malnourished too," Arissa continued for him with a laugh. She then turned to Rachel. "You should see him back then. During breakfast, he would pour my cereal and milk for me and the bowl was nearly overflowing with too much content."

"And I always expected her to finish everything so she could get fatter or heavier," Jesse said as he stretched his arm to rest it on the back of Rachel's chair.

"I always did," Arissa said proudly. "I would finish everything and after that he would give me a piggy-back ride outside only to put me down again and grab a cookie for me to eat on the way to school. He always wanted me to get heavier but I was one of those kids who ate a lot and never got heavier. I think it's because of my metabolism."

"And I always got frustrated," Jesse told Rachel who had listened to their childhood stories with a smile on her face. To her, it felt like it was Arissa's indirect way of welcoming her into her life and giving her a chance to get to know her. It also touched her heart that Jesse was not scared of giving away these childhood secrets to her because to her, it felt like he was letting her in the way she let him in when she let him see all her baby stuff when they were finding connections to her birth mother. "Because she didn't get heavier and I thought she was going to die from starvation."

"And Uncle Spencer had said that I won't die from starvation but from eating too much food," Arissa said as both she and Jesse laughed at that.

They continued on exchanging childhood stories. Rachel had told them about her first dancing competition while Arissa shared about her first trophy from a painting contest. Rachel told them of her loneliness as a kid while Jesse told her that he felt like Arissa was the only friend he had in his childhood. Uncle Spencer had long since excused himself but not before he retrieved the surprisingly delicious chocolate chip cookies that Arissa made for them to eat while they chatted. It was a Friday so they didn't have to worry about waking up early the next day.

"Do you remember that Vocal Adrenaline girl you whined to me about?" Arissa asked suddenly.

"I did not _whine _to you about her," Jesse said with a small frown. "I don't whine."

"Oh really? Let me try to refresh your memory," Arissa said as she paused to think. "_Arissaaaa, I can't handle this girl from Vocal Adrenaline. She's draping herself all over me. Arissa, she won't leave me alone! Arissa, she's freaking me out. Arissa, I want to quit_."

"Stop," Jesse pleaded as Arissa laughed. "You made your point."

As they continued on their exchange of childhood stories, Rachel noticed that there was one recurring thing in both of the siblings' stories – Jesse's protectiveness of Arissa. She couldn't understand their parents' apprehensiveness about Jesse's ability to take care of Arissa. Rachel felt like he would willingly jumped in front of a bus for her. Somehow, even though she hadn't known about Arissa until a few days ago, she felt how much Jesse missed her and she felt like there was some sort of tension and awkwardness between them that months away from each other can do. So she came up with a plan that would be a win-win situation for all of them. Arissa and Jesse would get to hang out with each other while Rachel could get to know more about Arissa.

"How about we all go out tomorrow?" Rachel suddenly said, startling Arissa and Jesse. Rachel blushed at that. "I understand if you think it was ludicrous for me to even suggest it but I have observed that you two siblings still have the awkwardness that distance has placed upon you and you are a bit reluctant to voice that out. So I think that we should all go out so you could both catch up on whatever you missed upon each others lives and I could get to know more about you, Arissa. After all, I don't want to be known to you as merely '_your older brother's girlfriend'_ because like I have said before I was severely deprived of friendship at a young age, even_ now _actually, and I think we can get along. I believe we share something else - aside from Jesse that is. So I think this could be a great opportunity for us all. What do you think?"

Arissa just stared at Rachel while Jesse just smirked at her. "There's the Rachel I know."

"Did she honestly just speak _that _fast?" Arissa asked as she regained her ability to speak.

"I take that as a yes then," Rachel said with a smile.

* * *

They had all retired for the night agreeing for a day out tomorrow. Much to Arissa's amusement, Rachel had called it a "date plus one".

Jesse had told her that their rooms were just across the hall and that she shouldn't hesitate to ask if she needed anything. Jesse's was on the right while Arissa's was on the left. Rachel nodded as Jesse kissed her goodnight though she highly doubted that she would need anything. There was a bathroom in her room and they had told her all the contents of the kitchen while they were doing the dishes. So she changed into her pajamas and settled herself into the soft bed. Even though she was not used to sleeping in another house, as soon as her head touched the pillow she was fast asleep.

At the other end of the hall though, Arissa did not share the same luxury. She had just finished changing into her sleeping clothes and was just going to comb her hair when she heard the familiar rumble of thunder. She peeked out of her curtains when a flash of lightning lightened the sky and the sound of thunder filled up the silence of the night. Arissa jumped back, not at the lightning of course, but with the sound of thunder. Thunder had scared her as child but ever since that day, she had developed a severe trauma against it. She couldn't fall asleep because she would be up fretting that it would happen again unless someone was making her feel safe.

Jesse, on the other hand, was wide awake not because of his fear or fascination for lightning but because he was waiting for his sister to knock on his door because of the thunder. Every night ever since that day, every time there was a thunder storm, he was wishing that Arissa would come to him. She never did.

Arissa paced in her room, debating with her own unreasonable reasons. What if Jesse was already asleep? Would he be irritated that she woke him up? Was her paranoia worth disturbing her brother for or could she just take her sleeping pills again? Arissa knew the answer though. She was tired of depending on her sleeping pills every time she was haunted by the memories of that day. She had to try and rebuild that trust she had in her brother.

But Arissa was scared. What if her nightmares come back? Could she really be that selfish to put her brother through _that_ again? He was already guilty enough as it is. He didn't need her help to bring him down even lower.

But she knew that a small part of Jesse would always be hurt that she didn't ask for his help. If there was one thing about his life that Jesse St. James enjoyed, it was being Arissa's older brother. And she knew that the thought of her not needing his help anymore hurt him so much.

She caught her reflection in the mirror and stepped forward for a clearer view. She moved her hair aside and inspected the fading burn marks. Several circular burns that were so close to her throat surrounded her neck. They still stung every once in a while, but it may be just her imagination. They were fading due to the ointment that her mother's dermatologist had given her but they still looked suspicious to someone who didn't know what happened. _Just a few more days and those scarves would be gone_, Arissa thought to herself. She moved her top aside to reveal a long scar that covered the left side of her collarbone until just below her breast. This would take longer to heal and she was slightly relieved that it was somewhere no one was bound to notice. She also knew that if she raised her shirt, another scar would be found along her stomach. It was already fading and if she was lucky, it would disappear within a few days. Some times, she's grateful that her mother cared for her appearance a great deal or she was sure that she would be wearing turtlenecks for the rest of the year.

With a deep breath, she started for the door. Within seconds, her fist was already poised to knock on his door. She hesitated for a moment before she took another breath and knocked.

Jesse jumped to his feet and basically ran for the door. He waited for a few seconds before he opened it. Jesse smiled at her before saying, "Finally."

"There's a thunderstorm," Arissa said unnecessarily as if it wasn't obvious enough. "Could you be my protective brother again? Like before?"

Jesse just smiled at her before moving to let her in. His bed was big enough for the both of them without one of them causing the other to fall off. As she climbed into his bed, she sighed as felt like a heavy load was getting lifted from her shoulders. She was about to close her eyes when Jesse suddenly spoke. "Arissa?"

"Yes, Jesse?" Arissa asked as she raised her head to look at him.

"I never stopped being your protective brother," Jesse told her. Arissa smiled at that. "I was just waiting for you to be that little sister that asked for my protectiveness again."

* * *

**A/N: **Wow. This is a BIG update. Over five thousand words. Next chapter is kind of like their fun day with some really cute Arissa and Rachel scenes, Arissa and Jesse scenes and of course St. Berry scenes.

And about Uncle Spence's characterization, I always expected him to be just like that. He was the _cool_ and stable Uncle who was still struggling with his responsibilities to both Arissa and Jesse. And next chapter, you'll find another hint as to what Arissa's secret is. How about 25 reviews until the next one? Reviews make me motivated and happy. =D

AND I made a picspam of Arissa and Jesse (which includes Arissa's send off scene) because I found the perfect actress for Arissa. You can find a link in my profile. + Arissa's outfit in this chapter.


	4. It Gets Worst At Night

**Chapter 4: **It Gets Worst At Night

**A/N: **I'm positive that this time, you'll guess Arissa's secret. =D Title of the chapter comes from a song by Lucero. Title of the story comes from a song by the Foo Fighters. Summary quote comes from a quote by Barbara Alpert. And I know you're probably getting sick of all the interaction Arissa and Jesse are getting and the lack of St. Berry scenes but Arissa _is _here to show that Jesse _isn't _a soulless automaton and is actually someone who has a heart and _feels _for someone.

**Warnings: **Dark themes up ahead.

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Glee. I don't own "It Gets Worst At Night" by Lucero. I don't own "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace" by the Foo Fighters. I don't own the quote by Barbara Alpert. I only own Arissa St. James, who is epically _awesome_. (Sorry, had to say it. XD) And I also don't own All She Wrote by Ross Copperman.

* * *

_There's somebody out there who wants to understand_

_There's somebody out there who takes me as I am_

_I'm feeling at home here, I knew there had to be_

_Somebody, somewhere_

All She Wrote ; Ross Copperman

* * *

If you asked Arissa what was the difference between sleeping in the same bed as her brother and with someone else, she won't give you a straight answer. She would tell you she had nothing to compare it to because she hasn't slept with another boy in her life. It was only her brother.

But Arissa was not naive. She knew the differences. For one, she knew that the girl slept with her back against the boy with the boy's arms pulling her close against him. The boy would bury his face in the crook of his neck and they would sleep like that with his arms still around her. Or the girl would lay her head upon his chest and just snuggle up to him.

Arissa and Jesse weren't like that. They slept at a very reasonable distance between them but not far enough that Jesse wouldn't reach her. In fact, they slept facing each other with Jesse's arms around her waist and her arms around his arms. They would go to bed and sleep like that and they would wake like that. They weren't fussy sleepers.

The distance was great enough that you could put a pillow between them and the edges would barely touch their bodies. Occasionally, Jesse would inch closer so he could run a hand through her hair whenever she was restless. His touch soothed her.

Arissa felt protected in his arms but she was terrified. She was terrified that her visions would come back. She could barely remember _anything _from that day but she remembered enough for the memories to haunt her. Sleeping with the thought that her brother was here to protect her momentarily soothed her.

But through closed eyes, she mildly saw a glimpse of lightning brightening up her brother's room.

And that's when the screaming started.

* * *

When Arissa had let out that _sharp _scream, Jesse's eyes opened and he immediately let go of his sister. She was just starting to thrash around, pushing at every part of Jesse's body that she could reach. He immediately shot up on the bed and tried to restrain her but she kept screaming.

_When she regained consciousness, she felt something pricking her arm. Through half-open eyes and a half-working mind, she could see that it was a syringe. As someone emptied the contents of the syringe in her arm, she suddenly felt drowsy. Her thinking became sluggish and all she wanted to do was close her eyes. _

_ Everything became too hazy after that. _

Jesse tried to restrain her hands, to keep her from thrashing around. Because her hits _hurt_. But she grew more hysterical the more he tried to restrain her.

_Arissa felt something around her wrists. She was too groggy to see and feel what they were. Her eye sight was blurry and she was _so _weak that she couldn't resist when she felt her arms go over her head. She faintly heard a click and when he let go, her arms stayed above her head. She could only let out a quiet groan._

He gave up on trying to restrain her hands when her resistance became too much. He tried to soothe her by rubbing his hands against her cheek.

_She felt his hand on her cheek, rubbing it gently. She tried to turn her head away but she can't remember if her body followed her brain's instruction. Everything was so hazy…everything felt like a blur._

_ She felt his hands go downward. She remembered shivering as his hand trailed down to the side of her neck, down to the side of her breast until it settled on her stomach. She heard the sound of fabric tearing and felt cold all of a sudden._

_ She felt the cold tip of metal on her stomach and she shivered. _

_ She missed the cold when the pain started._

"No, STOP IT!" Arissa screamed as Jesse tried to restrain her. "It hurts! What are you doing? Stop it! STOP IT! LET ME GO! PLEASE!"

"Arissa, Arissa," Jesse tried as he touched the side of her neck. "It's me. Come on, baby girl. Wake up. It's me. _Please wake up. Please._"

_It was horrible. She ached all over. She felt so much pain. Too much pain. She was going to die. At this rate, she _knew _that she was going to die. It hurt too much for her not to. Even the sedatives couldn't block out the pain that was overtaking all her senses._

_ She felt something wet on her stomach and she knew with the pain that it was blood. Lots and lots of blood. Everything hurt. Even if she was sedated, she felt him cutting her._

_ She was breathing heavily now. She wished she had the energy to scream but the drugs were overpowering her every move. She couldn't even lift her head._

_ Her breathing became faster as he felt her push her legs apart. She loud a very audible groan when she felt him pulling her underwear down. She felt the tears prickling her eyes and she tried to make her body _do _something. She turned her head away as she felt the tears go down her cheeks._

_ She wished it would be over soon._

"No, please!" Arissa sobbed as she fended away Jesse's arms. "Please don't do this! Don't put that inside me! Please, stop! Just stop! Let me go!"

Jesse's chest tightened as he heard her every scream. If it was like hell for him to think about what happened to her, it hurt even more to know that her memory made her relive that day every time. He wished he had the power to protect her even in her dreams. But right now, he felt helpless.

"Arissa, please wake up. Come on, baby girl, listen to me. Wake up, _please_," Jesse begged as he tried to shake her to consciousness. He heard the sound of footsteps and he knew that Rachel was on her way. They had talked to their Uncle Spencer about this and he knew that he didn't need to come. But at times, when she gets really hysterical, he would go anyways out of worry for his niece. "Come on, _come on_. Wake up, please."

_When he finished, Arissa closed her eyes and tried to submit herself to the haziness of her mind. She knew he was going to kill her but he was going to torture her first. She didn't want to die but after all the things he put her through, she wished he would just do it._

_ She felt so dirty. His touch sent shivers of disgust down her spine. She felt so disgusted at herself...at her body. She felt so violated. And she became angry. She did not _deserve_ to feel disgusted with herself. No one had the right to make her feel that way about herself._

_ On top of that, she felt so tired. So weak. She knew she lost a lot of blood and with all the drugs pumped into her system, she would die soon enough. She just wanted to rest now._

_ But her nose smelled smoke. She became alarmed._

He's going to burn me? _She asked in her thoughts. It was only then that her body seemed to pick up all her brain's commands because she started to thrash around._

_ And that's when she felt the burning-hot metal on her neck._

_ Finally, she let out a loud scream of pain._

_Unfortunately for her, it was only one of many marks._

_The pain was only beginning._

When her screams became louder, like she was in a lot of pain, Jesse moved so that he was in front of her. He forced her into a sitting position and tried to shake her awake. She was just starting to regain consciousness but she was still pushing at his chest, trying to get him away from her.

_He thinks I'm him_, Jesse thought as his stomach lurched.

"Arissa, it's me. It's Jesse. It's me," Jesse said as he brushed away her hair that had gotten in front of her face. "Come on, baby girl. It's me. It's Jesse. It's your brother."

When her brain had finally picked up on her surroundings, she looked at him with those green eyes of hers. She was breathing heavily from the screaming and the thrashing around.

"Jesse?" two female voices called. One was surprised but very awake while one was heartbroken and embarrassed. But he focused on only one.

He watched as Arissa's face crumpled and the tears fell from her eyes. She just moved towards him as he welcomed her into his arms. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and started to sob. They were both shaking and though Jesse was not crying – _yet _– he felt her fear. Her anger. Her _pain_.

Rachel sensed the intensity of the situation. She absolutely _had no _idea what happened but she didn't want to leave. She felt a pull towards the two siblings. So instead of going away to give them privacy, she rushed up on the bed and wrapped her arms around them. It wasn't much but she heard the sigh of relief from both of them.

"I'll stay here," Rachel said shakily as she tried to hug both of them tighter. Arissa sobs were slowing down and Rachel was grateful for that. In the few days that she knew the younger girl, she had believed that she was strong. She was sarcastic and witty and happy. And just…_strong_. And to see her like this broke her heart.

As they all separated, with Jesse's hands still on his sister's arms, Arissa turned to look at her with glistening eyes. But even with tears in her eyes, she saw strength in them – willing her not to cry anymore. "You don't have to, you know."

"I'm here for you, remember?" she reminded her. Arissa gave her a shaky smile. She was grateful for her comfort.

Jesse suddenly released his hold on her and she turned her head to look at him with alarmed eyes. In instinct, she grabbed his shirt. "Where are you going?"

"Relax," Jesse said with a laugh as he reached out a hand and rubbed her cheek. "Bathroom."

Arissa instantly blushed and let go of his shirt. "Right, sorry."

As Jesse stood up to go to the bathroom, Rachel turned to Arissa. "I'm not going to ask what just happened. I'm just going to stay here."

Arissa smiled gratefully. "Thank you," she whispered softly as she adjusted so Rachel could settle beside her. Noting that Rachel was in a very close proximity to her, she moved her hair so it covered her neck. "I was wondering if you could sleep between Jesse and me."

Rachel frowned at that but she didn't question her demands. Surely she had a reason as to why she wanted that. So she just moved over to her other side and leaned back on the wooden headboard. "Can you promise me one thing, Arissa?"

Arissa turned to look at her with a guarded expression on her face. "It depends on what you're going to ask from me."

"You'll tell me what happened when you're ready," Rachel told her firmly. "I know we're not close enough for you to consider me your best friend but... I care about you already. I'm worried about what just happened but based on Jesse's reaction, it's a normal occurrence. It seems too personal so I'm not going to push you. But please, tell me when you're ready."

Arissa's eyes softened as she nodded. She was grateful that the older girl was not pushing her. "Of course, Rachel. Only if you promise me something too."

"Anything," Rachel said immediately.

"Promise me you'll stick around long enough for me to tell you my secret," Arissa said with one of her radiant grins again.

Rachel laughed. "You don't even have to ask."

* * *

The moment he entered his bathroom, he shut the door and immediately went to one corner. He slumped down on the cold floor and pulled his legs against his chest. He wrapped his arms around them and placed his chin on his knees. Arissa's screams and tears were refusing to leave him alone.

Jesse St. James was strong. He was hard. He did not feel pain anymore. He didn't _feel_ anything anymore. But that was before his sister returned. That was before she screamed and recoiled at his touch.

He became hard for her and even though he knew she slightly resented him for it, he was only doing it for her. So no one would touch her again. So no one will hurt her again.

He would gladly do the same for Rachel. And that's what scares him. Rachel Berry was making him soft. If Arissa made him feel pain, Rachel made him feel happiness. She made him feel contentment. She made him consider settling.

Jesse St. James never settled. He aimed for the moon, not the stars. He wouldn't settle for anything less than that.

But with Rachel Berry, he became contented. He became contented whenever he had his arms wrapped around her while they were on the bed. He became contented with the soft kisses they exchanged before they go their separate ways. He became contented with the way that she fit perfectly in his arms. He became contented with the soft smile she would give him and her endless chatter about Broadway and musicals.

Rachel Berry made him happy.

And that made the pain two times worse. Happiness made him guilty.

Jesse St. James hated guilt.

But how could he not feel it? While he was enjoying Rachel's company, Arissa was battling with her own demons. Rachel made some of his inner demons vanish but his little sister was still suffering. While he was sleeping at night with thoughts of the moments he spent with Rachel, Arissa was plagued by visions of that day.

He felt sick to the bone.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that – just staring at a spot at the opposite wall. He broke out of his thoughts the moment someone knocked on the door.

"Jesse?" Rachel called from behind the closed door of his bathroom. "What's taking you so long? Arissa's asleep now. I didn't know that _Whispering _from Spring Awakening calms her down and helps her fall asleep." When she still heard no response, she asked quickly, "Are you decent?" Jesse could almost hear the embarrassment in her tone and if it was any other day, he would've found it adorable. But he couldn't find it in himself to respond. She tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. She opened the door and walked into the bathroom. Her eyes immediately settled on Jesse.

They spent a few moments like that – with Rachel staring at Jesse and Jesse staring at a spot on the wall. Not one of them spoke a word.

When Jesse continued on ignoring her presence, she did the only thing she knew would calm him. She rushed up to him and placed his head against her chest. His arms in instinct found themselves at her waist and he shifted so both of them would be comfortable.

Soon enough, she felt his tears soaking up the fabric of her shirt.

She didn't mind.

* * *

The next day, Rachel woke up in an empty bed. She instantly sat up blinking furiously, trying desperately to get a hold of her consciousness fully. Either side of the bed was made already, with the pillows neatly place and the bed spread smoothed out. Everything seemed so normal that Rachel almost thought everything that happened last night was all a dream or that it _never_ happened.

But of course it did.

She hastily jumped out of the bed and quickly smoothed out the creases on the bed spread. She tiptoed along the corridor, back to the guest room, to brush her teeth. After she had fixed herself, she instantly ran down the stairs still in her pajamas. The sight that greeted her was completely normal.

Arissa was seated on the counter – _Jesse probably helped her up_, Rachel thought – with her brother seated on the chair in front of her. She had her bare feet on her brother's thighs - something that he didn't seem to mind at all. Spencer was cooking breakfast – bacon and eggs – and there were a few pieces of toast on a plate in the counter (probably for _her)_. Rachel listened to the sound of Arissa's laughter at something Jesse said and she faintly heard Spencer chime something in but Rachel didn't listen enough to know what it was.

Rachel watched Arissa intently. It was almost silly how she only noticed _now_ all the little things that she should have noticed before. She noticed how there was still a hint of a frown in her smile and how her eyes didn't brighten up whenever she laughed. She didn't know how long she stood there, just watching, but Jesse quickly sensed her presence. He turned his head and smiled at her.

She exactly knew what that smile meant. She used it a thousand times before.

_Let's not talk about it._

She understood. She tilted her head slightly, so only Jesse could see, to indicate that she understood. Arissa's promise to her was enough.

She walked over to them and snagged a piece of toast from the plate. Arissa glanced at her with a smile but her eyes flickered slightly, acknowledging what happened last night. Her eyes and smile conveyed one message – she was _thankful_. Rachel found herself smiling back. She was glad she helped.

"So what time will you guys be leaving for your 'date plus one'?" Spencer asked as he transferred the bacon and eggs in separate plates. The three teens exchanged looks.

"Probably around twelve or one," Jesse replied as Arissa let out a sound of disapproval when he reached out and snagged the half-eaten toast she had in her hands. "Rachel needs to be home before seven."

"But we need to stop by the doctor first," Arissa chimed in. Jesse shot her a worried look. Arissa sighed and touched his shoulder. "I just need to get my prescription for my sleeping pills. They're out."

Jesse looked away and muttered softly, "I don't want you taking those pills any more, Arissa. They make me feel like you're sick, when you're constantly taking them. You're not sick."

Arissa sighed. "You know I need my pills, Jesse. I can't rely on your warmth forever. What will happen when you go to UCLA? Would I fly all the way to California so I can sleep peacefully?" Jesse shot her a hurt look. Arissa closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out on you like that."

"I know," Jesse said quietly. "We'll go to Dr. Bennett on the way."

"Thank you," Arissa said quietly.

Silence ensued for the next couple of minutes with just the sound of crunching of toast and bacon. Rachel was tapping her fingers on the counter so loudly that Jesse reached out and placed his hands over them to keep them still. He occasionally – and unconsciously - rubbed circles along the back of her hand while Arissa just fondly looked on. But the next few moments were too unbearable for Rachel – she didn't _ever _like uncomfortable silences – so she said the first thing that popped in her head.

"Did you know that eighty percent of the people who watch Super Bowl only do so to watch the commercials?" Rachel suddenly said, causing Arissa to stare at her with a confused expression on her face. Jesse stilled the movements he was doing with his hand and, like Arissa, just stared at her. "It's true, you know."

Arissa blinked before she looked at Jesse. She shot him a look that clearly said, '_Is she serious_?'. Jesse just shrugged and turned to look at Rachel again. "Can I ask something from you?"

"Anything," Rachel said with a triumphant smile, happy that the silence was broken.

"Stay away from that blonde Cheerio."

* * *

Just as he promised, they stopped over at the private practice where Dr. Bennett was working. Arissa looked out of the window of the passenger seat, sighing at the familiar building. Jesse didn't seem to remember the place and she was grateful. The building brought memories to her that she didn't want Jesse to have any more. But she was also glad because if Jesse knew, he wouldn't even let her come within three feet of the building. Jesse always thought that psychiatrists were for crazy people and he insisted that Arissa was not crazy. She was just traumatized. Not to mention he hated psychology.

But she needed to do this. For him. (Even though she still sort of hated psychology too not to mention having to relive that day _over _and _over _again was just plain depressing.)

_"Are the nightmares supposed to be _this _bad?" she asked Dr. Charlotte Young, her psychiatrist. She had her entwined hands on her lap, and she had her eyes casted downward. She didn't want to see the calculating gaze of the older woman. This was their fifth session for the past few months._

_ "It's normal that you would have _very_ intrusive thoughts about the incident," Charlotte said softly. She was woman in her late twenties with blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. The eyes seemed to be a requirement for psychiatrists. _Eyes that search the depths of your soul_, Arissa said to herself dryly. "It's just part of the PTSD, Arissa." They had diminished the personalities by now. Charlotte had thought that by calling her Dr. Young, there would always be that barrier in their communication so she had stopped calling her Ms. St. James and Arissa stopped calling her Dr. Young. _

_"But I don't even remember _everything_," Arissa argued. She blinked back tears at the helplessness that she was feeling at the moment. "And they're scaring me. I can't sleep because these nightmares are so vivid. I can feel the pain."_

_ "I'm going to prescribe you some anti-depressants and hypnotics," Charlotte said as she reached out for her prescription pad. Arissa's eyes flickered up at the word _anti-depressants._ "Your brother came here the other day."_

_ "You asked him?" Arissa asked with a horrified expression. She could feel her temper flaring up. "I can't believe you asked him to come here. You _had_ no right. I thought this was supposed to be between you and me?"_

_ "I didn't ask him to come," Charlotte said calmly. "I tried to ask him to leave but he was very persistent. He commented on how you were showing signs of depression and knowing you, he _knew _that you wouldn't tell me that. Even _I _could notice the change in your weight, Arissa. He was hoping I could help you."_

_ "I'm scared," Arissa whispered softly. "I don't want to be like this. I feel so helpless and I'm _angry. _He had no right to violate me like that. Am I really that bad of a person for something like this to happen to me?"_

_ "This the whole reason why you have to come to me during times like this," Charlotte said softly as she reached over and placed a hand over the younger girl's hands. "Because _I _can help you. You might doubt my capabilities and you might think that I just see this as just a job but I really _want _to help you. You're going to get through this but not alone. Let us help you."_

"Arissa?" Jesse called as Arissa looked away from the window to look at him. Rachel and Jesse were both staring intently at her, as if they were wondering something was wrong. Arissa thought that she probably zoned out and she cursed herself for getting lost in the memory. "Are you okay?"

Arissa forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm sorry, I just zoned out for a moment there." It was only then that she noticed that they were already parked in the parking lot.

"We're here," Jesse supplied unnecessarily, as if he didn't know what else to say. Arissa merely smiled and nodded. "We'll wait in the car."

"I'll be back soon," Arissa said as she opened her door and walked outside. She shivered at the cold wind that greeted her. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder and started to walk towards the building. The feeling of uneasiness never left her. She never did like lying or keeping secrets from Jesse. It _always_ blew up on her face. But she knew that she didn't need to tell him of her real purpose of coming here. It would make him both worried and _livid_.

In a way, she didn't exactly lie that much. She _was_ going to see a doctor, just not necessarily Dr. Bennett. She walked over to the receptionist and asked for Dr. Charlotte Young. She was lucky that Dr. Young had no appointments listed for the day so she was free to go to her office.

But as she stepped inside the familiar elevator, the feeling of dread and familiarity drowned her senses. She found herself reeling from the memories and the fear. All she wanted to do was get this done with and just have the chance to get away from the memories. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she finally arrived at the floor where Dr. Young's office was located. She immediately stepped outside and tried to walk as swiftly as she could towards her office.

She still remembered what happened the last time she was here.

_"Are you sure?" Charlotte asked as Arissa nodded._

_ "London would be good for me," Arissa said softly as she sat at one of the seats. "It gets me as far away from this place as possible. I don't constantly need to look over my shoulder to see if _he's_ there."_

_ "But London is quite a long way from your brother," Charlotte reminded her. Through their countless sessions, Charlotte knew that Jesse was one of the only reasons why the young girl was still holding on. "Being near him is good for you."_

_ "But it isn't for him," Arissa told her psychiatrist. "You should see the look in his eyes whenever he looks at me. He looks so guilty and so hurt. I can't be selfish."_

_ "What about your nightmares?" Charlotte asked as Arissa sighed._

_ "I don't get them anymore. They're gone for so long that I don't drink sleeping pills for a few weeks now," Arissa admitted as she looked down at her lap. _

_ "Can you promise me one thing, Arissa?" Charlotte asked as Arissa looked up and nodded. "If they come back, call me or come to me. I may not be your psychiatrist any more but I still want to help."_

_ Arissa smiled and nodded again. "I promise."_

She raised her hand and knocked. This was it. There was no turning back now.

The familiar face of Dr. Charlotte Young greeted her.

"Dr. Young?" Arissa asked softly. Charlotte just stared at her, mildly surprised that she was here but grateful that she returned. "They're back."

* * *

"What was Arissa like before the nightmares?" Rachel asked suddenly while they waited for the younger girl. She glanced at Jesse, hoping that he wasn't mad at her for asking. But she _had _to ask. When she found out about the nightmares, she knew that Arissa had somehow changed. She didn't need to know her to know that she changed. You don't scream like that in your sleep and not end up a changed person. Whatever happened to her clearly traumatized her. But she promised to herself that she would wait until _Arissa _was ready to tell her. She wouldn't ask Jesse.

"She smiled more often," Jesse said softly as he stared ahead. "She laughed a lot and her eyes wouldn't cloud over with some sort of emotion that I can't place. She was my open book before you, Rachel. I could read her so well."

"Are the nightmares usually this bad?" Rachel asked as Jesse tensed up. She immediately became cautious of her words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I won't ask you what happened to her exactly because she told me that she would tell me when she's ready. But you can't blame me for being worried, Jesse. Her screams were…"

"…_painful_," Jesse supplied for her. Rachel could only nod. "Her screams don't usually go to that extreme. Usually, her nightmares are very mild. But the thunderstorm…"

"…just added more to her fear because she was scared of thunder," Rachel continued for him. Jesse nodded. She just stared at him silence before she reached out and brushed her hand against his forehead, stroking the hair that fell on his forehead in short wisps. Jesse closed his eyes at his soft touch. She didn't need to tell him what she was thinking. He understood.

_I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm sorry _she _had to go through that._

With that, he turned his head and leaned forward to capture her lips in a very chaste – very _innocent – _kiss. He cradled her face, with his thumb tracing circles on her cheek, and he could feel her smiling against his lips.

She was not smiling because he kissed her. She was smiling at what he was trying to tell her.

_Thank you…_

For being here. For not pushing me. For loving me.

All these unspoken words meant more to her than the ones he actually told her. But she had a nagging suspicion that he wanted wanted to tell her something else but she could feel him holding back. But she pushed that nagging feeling aside and concentrated on Jesse's presence.

But it was the words that he didn't speak that terrified _him_. Jesse was terrified of his own personal truths – hating why he had to be like this. He hated that he was scared of Rachel finding herself in his own personal secrets – his own personal darkness. He just didn't want her to think he was weak. He already let himself be vulnerable in front of her the night before. He had hoped that Rachel didn't read the following words to his thoughts.

…_but I'm scared to let you in. _

_

* * *

_

"What took you so long?" Jesse immediately asked when Arissa finally returned to the car. She immediately slipped the two bottles of medicine in her bag. It did not go unnoticed by Jesse.

"The line in the private pharmacy was _so_ long," Arissa said with a frown. The half-lie passed easily through her lips. Technically, the pharmacy line _was_ long but that wasn't exactly the reason why she took so long. She still had to arrange her schedule with Dr. Young - she would pay her via her own savings account - and they had agreed on a confidentiality agreement. She had arranged her schedule so Jesse wouldn't know about her sessions. She didn't need to worry him any further.

"You have two medicine bottles," Jesse commented lightly.

"I asked for more," Arissa said quickly. Jesse quirked an eyebrow. "Aren't we supposed to be going now?" she asked as she tried to change the subject.

Jesse sighed and turned to Rachel. "Lead the way."

Rachel nodded as Jesse started to drive out of the parking lot of the private practice. She pointed the directions to him and Jesse obeyed without complaint. When Rachel asked him to stop in front of a grocery store, Arissa and Jesse exchanged looks. Jesse waited until he had parked the car in the parking lot before he asked Rachel what they were doing there.

"Don't you remember?" Rachel asked with a smile as she pointed over to the sign that said the grocery store's name. "This was the grocery store where you used to give Arissa piggyback rides."

Arissa moved over to the other side of the back seat to try and see the sign. "Yep, this is the place."

"How would you know?" Jesse asked as he turned on his seat to look at Arissa. "You were only five when I was giving you piggyback rides."

"I have a perfectly good memory span, Jesse," Arissa told him with a glare. "And I just _know. _It's hard to explain." She paused for a moment. "How did you know which grocery store we went to?"

"I asked your Uncle Spencer last night," Rachel said with a grin. "I was on the way to the bathroom when I ran into him and I asked him."

Arissa smiled at her. "But why bring us here? You could've just brought us to a fancy restaurant and set me aside so you could spend time with Jesse."

"Arissa, I told you that I wanted to get to know you. I _meant _that. And this is the only way I know how. By bringing you to the places you used to be in, I get to know you and your likes and your memories." Rachel paused and looked at Jesse who was looking curiously at her. "And like I said, I noticed that your relationship is a little strained because of the awkwardness and because of the months you've missed in each others lives. And I thought that the best way to get rid of that awkwardness and to bring your relationship with him back to normal is to bring you back to places that give you a lot of good memories with him. To bring you to the places which remind you of why you have such a close bond. This was the first place that came to my mind. This was a place of innocence and happiness for you two. I think you should experience those feelings again."

With that, Arissa leaned forward and – with little difficulty – embraced Rachel tightly. Rachel laughed and patted her on the back.

"You know, I was trying really hard not to like you," Arissa said with a laugh when she pulled away.

"Why?" Rachel asked with a confused expression.

"Because Jesse might break your heart," Arissa said matter-of-factly. Jesse threw her a hurt look. "Or vice versa," she added quickly. "And I don't want to get too attached to you in case that happens so it wouldn't hurt that much. But I have a feeling that you're not going anywhere."

Rachel laughed and nodded. "You got that right, Arissa." Rachel then turned serious. "You know, not _everyone_ is going to leave you."

"I know," Arissa said with a nod. "And I'm thankful that you're trying your best to prove me wrong."

* * *

**A/N: **I decided to cut this chapter this short. Next chapter would definitely be the date plus one (which includes the grocery store, an impromptu concert, a white piano in an empty house and Rachel's room). I can definitely promise some St. Berry goodness. If you found out what Arissa's secret is, please don't say it in your review. You're free to PM me just don't put it in a reviews. I hope you enjoyed. =D (And yes, I did NOT proofread this. XD)


	5. I Forgot To Remember To Forget

**Chapter 5: **I Forgot To Remember To Forget

**A/N: **&& wow, seriously. I still can't believe all the positive feedback that I've gotten and most especially the ones about Arissa. (You guys have _no _idea how terrified I was about introducing her.) You've made me so happy that I'm trying to finish another video of them right now. =D && this is dedicated to SayaAsakura (LUCY!) for being the most awesome cheerleader ever.

And you know what? My characterization of Jesse is so off it's not even funny anymore.

**Disclaimer: **Glee? Nope, I don't own it. I only own the fantastic Arissa St. James. I also don't own I Forgot To Remember To Forget by the Beatles nor do I own Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace by the Goo Goo Dolls. I also don't own the quote by Barbra Alpert. I also don't own Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love from the Chorus Line OST nor do I own Hello by Lionel Richie.

* * *

"I'm sorry, _what_?" Arissa repeated for the third time as she stared at the back of her brother's head. She shot Rachel a questioning look to which the older girl replied with a slight smile on her face. They were currently in the cereal lane of the department store because they had just run out of Arissa's favorite cereal.

"Hop on my back," Jesse said as he looked over his shoulder to stare at Arissa. Her eyebrows were scrunched together as if she didn't understand what her brother was saying. "Oh come on, Arissa. You used to do it all the time when we were little kids."

"That's the point, Jesse," Arissa said pointedly as she shyly looked away from the people who were staring at Jesse who looked a little out of place because of the fact that he was kneeling on one knee in front of Arissa and Rachel with his back turned to them. "We did it when we were_ kids_. I've gotten a lot heavier since then."

"Are you saying I'm out of shape?" Jesse asked as he threw Arissa an incredulous look. The younger girl shot Rachel a slight glare when she heard her stifling laughter. "Because I am _not _out of shape, Arisande. I can lift you, whether you gained weight or not. Now, hop on."

Arissa sighed and shot Rachel another glance. Rachel merely offered her a small smile to show her support. Arissa groaned and dropped her purse in their push cart. "I _swear_ Jesse St. James, if you _drop _me there will be hell to pay." With a long sigh, she wrapped her arms around Jesse's neck and waited for him to stand up.

And with little difficulty, he stood up. He wobbled a little in surprise at the excess weight but he managed to steady himself. But when he fake-swayed, Arissa let out a tiny squeal and wrapped her legs around his waist and tightened her grip on his neck.

"Arissa," Jesse breathed out which caused both girls to look confused. "You're choking me. Will you _please_ loosen your arms that are squeezing the air out of my lungs?"

"Oh, sorry," Arissa said with a light chuckle as she slightly loosened her hold. "But I swear, if you fake-sway again, that grip around your neck would not be unintentional."

"Rachel, would you be fine with the push cart?" Jesse asked as he turned, with amazing swiftness, to face his girlfriend. Rachel only smiled and nodded. The two siblings smiled at her in gratefulness. "Oh look, _there's _the Lucky Charms."

He walked over to the shelves so fast that Arissa clutched his shoulder _so _tight that her knuckles started to whiten. "_Slow _down," she hissed to him which caused him to chuckle. She reached out for the box of Lucky Charms but she couldn't reach them. "Can you please move closer?" Jesse stepped closer as Arissa reached out for the box. With a sigh of relief, she finally grabbed then turned to Rachel, who had a very amused smile on her face, and to his surprise the box of Lucky Charms flew from Arissa's hands and into the push cart. "SCORE!"

"You're so immature," Jesse told her as they went off to another lane with Rachel following them closely.

Arissa snorted. "This is coming from a guy who's currently giving his little sister a piggyback ride."

"This does not make me immature, Arissa," Jesse told her. "This makes me nostalgic. There's a difference."

"Of course there is," Arissa said condescendingly. "Wait, what are we doing in the picnic section?"

"I was hoping we could go on a picnic over the next weekend," Rachel supplied as she started to arrange the contents of the push cart. She then grabbed some paper plates, plastic spoons and forks and some containers. "You, me and Jesse."

"Are you sure I'm not intruding on your alone time with each other?" Arissa asked uncertainly. "I mean, sure, the last time you two went out on a date ever since I came back was yesterday. And now, the next date you're planning is another date plus one. I don't think that I'm healthy for your relationship."

"I don't mind," Rachel told her quickly. "I told you that I wanted to get to know you. And Jesse most certainly does not mind your presence. Do you, Jesse?"

"Well, I did mind that one time when you interrupted us," Jesse told her seriously. Arissa let out a very scandalized tone. "_What? _I'm serious."

"I don't want to know any details about _that_ part of your relationship, Jesse," Arissa told him while Rachel let out a laugh at that. "I really prefer not being scarred for the rest of my life."

"And about you not being healthy for our relationship," Rachel started as she finished stacking up the push cart with the picnic items. "You might never know. I mean, one day _you _could be the only reason why I'm staying with your brother."

"_Rachel_!" Jesse said incredulously. Rachel only laughed and started to walk away from the lane. "We have to talk about that. Why would my sister be more important than me?"

"Because I'm awesome," Arissa said matter-of-factly. "Even more awesome than you, Jesse St. James because I'm actually _nice_ and sweet."

"I can be nice and sweet," Jesse muttered under his breath as they started to walk again. They were enjoying themselves so much that they _completely _ignored the stares that people kept giving them.

"I didn't say you can't," Arissa told him as she settled her chin down on his shoulder to make herself more comfortable. "I'm just saying that I can do it much better than you – being nice and sweet, I mean."

"No, you just have a way of looking like an angel fallen from the skies while I look like the devil's incarnate," Jesse muttered bitterly. Rachel and Arissa exchanged a glance and laughed. "Do you remember Mom's overly religious tea mate?"

"_Tea mate?_" Arissa exclaimed loudly, causing more stares to come their way. She ignored them and sent Rachel a look that clearly said, _Who says _tea mate_ nowadays_? Rachel could only shrug. "And do you mean Mrs. Thompson?"

"_Yes_," Jesse whispered slowly as he finally remembered the older woman's surname. "She always pinched your cheeks until they reddened so much that I was worried they would swell. She thought that Arissa was_ so _adorable because she looked so innocent."

"And she always sent you death glares because you always wore black," Arissa laughed as she turned to Rachel. "Mrs. Thompson used to think that Jesse was a worshipper of Satan. Jesse did nothing to debunk her mini-theory. In fact, he provoked her even more."

"It's not my fault that woman was crazy," Jesse muttered as he let Rachel lead the way to the cashiers. "Wearing black does not automatically mean Satanism. She was always watching me closely as if she was expecting me to suddenly burst into a litany of praises to the devil."

"Sure, black doesn't instantly mean Satanism," Arissa started slowly. "But you wear black _all the time. _I bought you shirts for you to wear, Jesse. They're not just there for display."

"Yeah, yeah," Jesse said after she finished talking. Arissa glared at the back of his head. "You've told me that countless of times before."

"And yet my message still doesn't stick in your brain," Arissa said with a frown. "You know, you never listen to me and it's slowly becoming very irritating."

"Well, Jesse _is_ incredibly stubborn," Rachel told her as she started to unload everything from the push cart so she could pay for them. Arissa hopped down from Jesse's back to grab a pack of Skittles from the counter. She instantly pulled out her wallet from her purse. "No, I'll pay for it."

"Actually, I'll be the one paying," Jesse said as he pulled out _his _wallet.

"_Jesse_," Rachel started warningly as she pulled out her wallet. Arissa rolled her eyes at the two of them as she picked up another pack of Skittles and set it down to the counter. "I'll pay for it."

"Guys!" Arissa burst out as the two older teenagers looked at her. "Seriously, if you guys start to fight over money now, I want you to break up while you still have the chance." Rachel and Jesse looked away guiltily. "Look, let's just form an agreement. Rachel, Jesse's the guy. Let him pay for this now and then the next time something is needed to be bought, you pay for it. Deal?"

Jesse and Rachel sighed before nodding. "Deal," they said in chorus. Arissa grinned at them triumphantly.

After Jesse had finished paying for all of their picnic things and Arissa's food, he left them to bring the groceries to the car and to drive the car up front. Rachel and Arissa were left in front of the grocery store with Arissa happily munching away on her Skittles.

"Arissa?" someone called from behind them. Both girls turned around and Arissa smiled as she saw the familiar face. "Arisande St. James, you sure have grown a lot."

"Haylee!" Arissa said excitedly as she ran up to the older girl and hugged her. Rachel stayed rooted on the spot, not knowing what to do. "How are you?"

"I'm great," Haylee said with a smile as she looked down at Arissa. "It's been months since I last saw you. Last thing I heard from Jesse about you was that you were in London. When did you come back?"

"A couple of days ago," Arissa told her with a smile. She then turned to Rachel and tugged at her hand. "Rachel, come. I want you to meet her." Rachel unwillingly followed her. "Rachel, this is Haylee. She's a friend of Jesse's from Vocal Adrenaline."

Rachel struggled to force a smile on her face. God, was every girl from Vocal Adrenaline this pretty? "It's nice to meet you, Haylee."

"And this is Rachel Berry, Haylee," Arissa said as Haylee shook Rachel's hand. "She's my brother's girlfriend."

Haylee raised an eyebrow at Arissa. "You honestly think she'll last that long?"

"You know what? Yeah, I think she will," Arissa said quietly but happily. "She's different from all of them."

Haylee just smiled at the younger girl before turning back to Rachel. "It's really nice to meet you, Rachel. I hope we'll meet again."

The smile on Rachel's face was so forced it was literally hurting her. "I hope that too."

"Give my regards to your brother, Arissa," Haylee said as Arissa nodded. "I kind of miss having his bossy presence around. The atmosphere without his huge ego in Vocal Adrenaline is slowly become dull."

"I'll make sure I'll mention it," Arissa replied just as Haylee started to walk away. She waved at her and she waved back. When she was out of sight, Arissa turned to Rachel.

"Did she and your brother…" Rachel trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

"Date?" Arissa supplied. Rachel nodded mutely. "No. She's one of the few lucky souls in Carmel High that wasn't corrupted by my brother. She's just a close friend."

"With benefits?" Rachel asked uncertainly.

Arissa merely laughed and shook her head. "Hell no. Just friends." When Rachel remained looking doubtful, she sighed and kept herself from laughing. "I'm being honest, Rachel. I wouldn't lie about something like this."

"I'm sorry. It's just that…"Rachel paused to take a deep breath, as if admitting this was painful for her. "I feel like she's one of those girls who have so much of both of you. Jesse and I have only been dating for a few months and you, well, I haven't even known you for a whole month. And she's just another girl that's been around longer than I have."

"But you've got a clean slate to start with," Arissa told her as she stepped closer to the older girl. "My brother has told me of all the countless horrible things that you have to go through in your school. People classify you as this certain high maintenance girl and that idea stuck to them. But Rachel, with me you get to start over. You get to introduce me to Rachel Berry. I didn't know you as the stuck up kid you were in McKinley. I didn't know you as the girl who performed Don't Rain on my Parade in Sectionals. I knew you as the girl who cared a great deal about my brother. And that means a lot to me. I don't care that I barely know you. I care that you're making an effort to try to get to know me."

Rachel bit her lower lip and did the one thing that summed up everything that she was feeling. She reached out and enveloped Arissa in a tight hug. "That means a lot coming from you." Arissa merely laughed as Rachel pulled away. "I was wondering though. What did she mean when she asked you if you thought that I would last that long?"

"You're the first person I introduced to her as my brother's girlfriend," Arissa told her as she caught a glance of her brother's car pulling over at the front of the grocery store. "It was always just their names. And you know what? At times I purposely get their names wrong to get back at them for forgetting my name. I know that it's hard to get their petty little heads around a name as difficult as Arisande but when they forget a six-lettered nickname, that's where I draw the line."

Rachel shook her head as they started to walk towards Jesse's car. "Did Haylee ever show interest in Jesse?"

Arissa shook her head. "Haylee was the _one _automaton who still had a heart. She was most effective that way. She hit the high notes because she felt them. And because she had heart, she didn't fall for my brother's _bad boy_ charm. She's one of the few people who can openly criticize Jesse without fear of getting badly injured."

"And Jesse never showed any interest in her?" Rachel asked.

"The feelings between them were purely platonic," Arissa said as she looked up and saw Jesse opening the passenger seat's door for Rachel. "Haylee was my brother's fall back girl whenever he wants to get away from Andrea. Believe me, Rachel. My brother has no feelings whatsoever for Haylee and the feeling, or lack of it, is mutual. Haylee's really nice."

They had finally reached Jesse's car and Arissa slipped in the back seat while Rachel sat in the passenger seat. Jesse shut Rachel's door as Arissa pulled hers close. When Jesse had slipped in the driver's seat, Arissa leaned forward.

"We saw Haylee earlier," she told him casually. She noticed both Rachel and Jesse tensing at that.

"Yeah?" Jesse asked as he cleared his throat. She also noticed him sending Rachel a subtle glance. "How is she?"

"Fine," Arissa said as she leaned back and took her other Skittles pack to tear it open. She peered inside the packet for a green one. "She sends you her regards. She also said that you were bossy. And egoistical."

Jesse chuckled at that. "Sounds like Haylee."

"She also said that she missed you," Rachel said quietly.

Jesse looked questioningly at Arissa. "She didn't necessarily say that she _missed you _per se but it was more of missing your egoistical and bossy attitude."

After he heard that, Jesse chuckled as Rachel shot him a glare. Rachel was surprised when he suddenly leaned forward and pecked her on the lips. Arissa had the decency to pretend that she didn't see anything. "Rach, _you're _my girlfriend. Not Haylee. I don't like her that way."

Rachel blushed guiltily. "Okay then."

"Where to next?" Jesse asked as he started the car.

"The park," Rachel said as she and Arissa strapped on their seatbelts. Arissa looked confused at that but Jesse merely nodded as if he understood.

* * *

"To the park then," Jesse said as he started to drive away from the grocery store.

"What are we doing here?" Arissa asked with a confused expression on her face as they started to walk around the park. There were several people there – ranging from young children to full-grown adults.

"Don't you remember?" Jesse asked as he continued on walking with one arm casually slung around Rachel's shoulders. "This was _our _park, Arissa. Our comfort place. The one place where we could go when mom and dad are being unbearably annoying."

"Really?" Arissa asked as she looked around with wide eyes. "God, it's been a long time that I can't even remember anymore."

"It was only five years ago, Arissa." Jesse told her amusedly.

"Well, a lot of things have happened since then that caused me to forget," Arissa said, revising her earlier statement. "It's really this park, huh?"

"Nothing has changed," Jesse said with a sigh as he looked around. "And look, there are those picnic tables where I used to stand when I gave one of my impromptu concerts."

"_Really_?" Rachel asked with a smirk as she looked over at the tables. She then turned to Jesse and started to pull him in the direction of the picnic tables. "Come on then."

"I don't like where this is going," Arissa said uncertainly. When Rachel had hopped on top of one of the picnic tables, she scrunched her eyebrows together. "I _really _don't like where this is going."

"_Hello twelve_," she started to sing softly.

Arissa turned to Jesse to shoot him a glance of incredulity but he had already climbed up on top of another picnic table. "Oh my God, you two are _really _serious about doing this?"

"_Hello thirteen_," Jesse sang back to her.

Arissa closed her eyes. "I can't believe you're doing this to me. If anyone asks if I know you, I'm saying no."

"_Hello love,_" Rachel sang with a smile.

"You guys," Arissa hissed as she felt her cheeks burning. A crowd was slowly forming around them. "Get down from those picnic tables, _now._"

"_Changes, ooh," _Jesse sang right back. Soon enough Rachel's voice joined his. Arissa momentarily forgot her embarrassment to marvel at the way their voices melded together. "_Down below."_

_ "Up above." _Jesse's voice faded as he let Rachel sing alone for a moment. _"Time to doubt!"_

_ "To break out!" _Jesse chimed in.

_"It's a mess,_" Rachel sang as Jesse replied with a, "_It's a mess!_"

"_Time to grow, time to go,_" Rachel sang and Arissa just stared at her in awe. "_Hello!"_

Watching them perform, Arissa realized, was incredibly mesmerizing. It was amazing how, even without accompaniment, the two of them still created beautiful music together. But as she looked around and saw that a crowd had formed around them, she couldn't help the feeling of nostalgia that she felt.

Jesse was most certainly not the thirteen year old who was belting out Queen on top of the picnic table anymore. Arissa smiled softly as she realized that this was his brother's dream. This was what he wants. She had never fully appreciated his passion whenever she watched him practice with Vocal Adrenaline. It seemed too robotic – too heavily choreographed.

But now, seeing him in all his raw talent, she could feel his passion emanating from him – something he never projected while practicing with Vocal Adrenaline.

He belonged on stage, in front of an adoring crowd.

And as she watched him perform with Rachel, she realized another thing.

Rachel deserved to be on his side when that happens.

Their voices melded so beautifully that it was as if they were born to sing together. Their movements were so synchronized that Arissa thought it was choreographed. But it was beautiful.

She watched with amusement as they started to dance together in the confinement of one picnic table. She didn't know when Rachel had transferred to Jesse's table but she did. By now, she had completely forgotten about her embarrassment. She didn't know how she could possibly be embarrassed by something as beautiful as this.

As the song drew to its conclusion, it ended with both of them hitting amazingly high notes. The crowd applauded with utmost joy at their performance as both of them exchanged a look and bowed together.

They both hopped off the picnic table and walked over to her as soon as the crowd dispersed.

"You know, if you wanted to make me feel nostalgic," Arissa said as she punched Jesse on the arm. "You could've just bought me an ice cream cone. All this theatricality was not necessary."

"But what fun would that be?" Jesse asked with a grin as he reached out and ruffled Arissa's hair. "Besides, if we did that, you wouldn't be able to witness our epic talent."

"Stop being so full of yourself, Jesse St. James," Arissa said with a frown. She then turned to Rachel. "You were amazing, Rachel - always so flawless."

"But you nearly missed a note," Jesse told her as Rachel merely nodded instead of getting angry. "And you nearly missed your breath in one part."

"You nearly stepped on my foot," Rachel told him as Jesse uttered a soft apology. Rachel waved her hand as if it meant nothing. "It's fine. And your breathing pattern is slowly becoming horrible, Jesse."

"My sister is depriving me of my breathing exercises," Jesse told her as he stared pointedly at Arissa. Arissa merely rolled her eyes. "So that point is not entirely my fault."

"You know what? I'm not going to feed your egos by asking if your hearing is that of a superhuman's," Arissa asked with a frown. "Because no normal human can pick up any near-misses of breaths or nearly missing a note."

"We're supposed to pick up on these things, Arissa," Jesse told her as Rachel motioned to an ice cream cart. "We won't be good singers and performers if we didn't."

"And this is why I'm glad that I'm not a performer," Arissa said as Rachel offered her a chocolate Popsicle. "That and the fact that you won't be able to enjoy this delicious chocolate Popsicle."

"Don't push it, Arisande," Jesse said with a frown. The three of them just started to stroll around the park with Jesse walking with Rachel and Arissa following closely behind. A wistful smile appeared on Jesse's face as he saw the swings. "Hey Arissa, do you remember those swings?"

Arissa looked up from her Popsicle to follow Jesse's vision. Arissa laughed as she saw the familiar set of swings. "That was our favorite hang-out place when we were little kids. I always thought it would be my key to reaching my dreams of touching the sky."

"So I tried to help you, even though I knew that it was impossible, to reach it by pushing you as high as I can," Jesse said as Rachel just listened on to their stories. "And one time you fell down."

"And you were so worried that I broke something. You were panicking and you were telling me that you wouldn't care even if Mom and Dad would scold you," Arissa said softly. "You just cared if I was going to be fine or not. And I always was."

"Not always," Jesse whispered under his breath. Rachel caught that and caught him a questioning glance that he didn't see. It was during times like these that it became difficult for Rachel to be not selfish. She hated feeling helpless.

But she made a promise and no matter how difficult it was to keep it, she'll try her best.

* * *

Their last destination for the day surprised her. She stared outside and saw the familiar sight of her childhood, somewhere she hadn't been in for months. Arissa remembered all the nights alone with her brother while their parents were in some other continent or country.

Arissa hated that their parents were nearly always never there for them. Arthur and Juliette St. James were never home. In fact, their Uncle Spencer had been more of a parent to them than their biological ones can ever be. Sometimes Arissa felt so angry that Arthur and Juliette's roles as parents were only restricted to bailing them out of trouble or worrying about them when they got hurt and abandoning them shortly after.

As she stepped out of the car to follow Jesse and Rachel, she frowned as she realized that this house was never really a home to her. It was just a place where she stayed whenever their parents wanted to be with them. But Arissa had never truly put her mark in this empty mansion. It was never a place she called home. It was just an empty mansion to her. It held no significance to her.

Jesse opened the door to the house with his own key. Arissa was grateful that their mom had honored her wishes and just stayed in Bali after she found out that she was home. It was almost scary at how much she preferred staying with her uncle Spencer than with her own parents.

"You guys are taking me to the most peculiar places," Arissa remarked thoughtfully as she blinked back as Jesse flipped the lights open. The house was as empty as ever. Arissa's stomach twisted as she thought of all the days that Jesse possibly spent alone after she had left for London. "It seems colder around here."

"It was always cold around here, Arissa," Jesse told her. She couldn't help but agree. She didn't even remember what her own room looked like any more.

"You can't really blame me if I thought that out of the three places we went to, this one's the most out of place," Arissa told Jesse. "I get that we have a lot of memories here because we grew up in this house but we didn't really _make_ worthy memories to be remembered."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked them, truly intrigued as to why the siblings didn't like being back in the empty mansion. She slowed down and waited until Arissa caught up with her.

"Our parents were almost never home," Arissa said, starting with the obvious. "They came home for holidays and birthdays but the atmosphere was incredibly tense and awkward that we preferred spending the holidays alone. The times when it was just Jesse and me were my happiest days in this house. It's kind of pathetic, isn't it? I can't even bear to be in a place that I'm supposed to call home."

"But those bad memories aren't the reasons why I took you here, Arissa," Jesse told her as they walked inside the piano room. "You're right. This house has nothing but bad memories for both of us. But you know what? We're going to make new memories that are worth remembering."

"You took me here to make me hear you play the piano, Jesse?" Arissa asked confusedly. "Jesse, I've heard you play the piano countless of times before."

"Just listen, Arisande," Jesse told her as he sat on the piano stool. He dusted off the dust that had collected on the cover of the piano keys before he lifted it up. He tested a few keys before he played a familiar melody.

"_I've been alone with you inside my mind,_" Jesse started to sing. Even Rachel looked surprised, but it was because of the fact that she didn't expect him to have all the notes and chords memorized. "_And in my dreams, I've kissed your lips a thousand times."_

Arissa smiled as she sat on the empty chair in the room. She had always heard Jesse sing but he never failed to amaze her with his voice. It was something she will never get used to.

She remembered the days where all she thought of her brother's voice was something to be used to lull her to sleep as a child. Because even when he was young, Jesse St. James was talented but his talent was never put into good use. All he cared about when he was singing was making Arissa happy.

"_I sometimes see you pass outside my door_," Jesse continued as Rachel just kept on smiling at him, mesmerized like the way she was at the book store. It was like he was trying to tell his sister why Rachel fell for him. Why she was here with him. "_Hello, is it me you're looking for?_"

"_I can see it in your eyes." _Rachel had started to sing along and Arissa found herself grinning. The sounds of their voices singing together was _beautiful_ music in her ears. "_I can see it in your smile. You're all I've ever wanted, and my arms are open wide._"

Somehow, her heart was calmed as she listened to them singing. She had her feet up the chair and she pulled her legs close to her chest. Just by listening to their voices, she completely forgot everything else.

She forgot that she had experienced something that no other fifteen year old had experienced before. She forgot that she had to take therapy because of the incident. She forgot of the nightmares. She forgot of the hospitalization. She forgot of the countless pills and medicines. She forgot of the pain she caused Jesse. She forgot that her family was so dysfunctional that it wasn't fair anymore. And she forgot that she was keeping a secret from her own brother.

As Arissa listened to them sing Hello for her, to let her know how their story started, she realized that in this moment in time they were just three teenagers trying to entertain themselves. They were just three teenagers who had nothing else to do with their time. They were just Arissa, Rachel and Jesse. All other problems, all other thoughts had vanished from her mind.

And Arissa was grateful for the temporary escape that her brother's music offered.

* * *

"Thank you for today," Jesse murmured quietly. He was currently in Rachel's room, in her bed with his girlfriend's head set atop his chest. Arissa had asked him to drop her off at their house before he dropped off Rachel so they could spend time together.

"It was nothing," Rachel murmured back. "I just wanted you to spend time with Arissa. And you know what? I want to thank you too."

"For what?" Jesse asked as he played with her hair.

"For letting me in your life," Rachel told him honestly. "I know it's not the easiest thing for you to do and for that, I'm extremely grateful."

"Rachel, you're my girlfriend," Jesse said amusedly as he looked down on her. He was surprised at the intense emotion in her eyes. "You're already a part of my life."

"I know," she said quietly. "But just to know all those memories you share with your sister is pretty amazing. Because face it, Jesse. Arissa's the most important person in your life. She will always be your number one priority."

Silence ensued soon after. Jesse found himself speechless. Because honestly, how do you find the right words to respond to that? All he could think of was to lean forward and capture her lips in a chaste kiss. He could feel her smiling against his lips and he was glad that the tense atmosphere was broken.

"Can you stay?" Rachel asked after she caught her breath. "My dads won't mind. They never do. You know that they're extremely fond of you. I just… I need you here tonight. Do you think that's possible?"

Jesse found himself nodding. "Just let me call my sister to let her know that I'm not coming home." Rachel nodded before moving away to let Jesse stand up. Jesse reached for his phone in the pocket of his jeans and pressed on the number _one. _

Arissa was quick to pick up. "Hello? Jesse?"

"Rachel's asking me to stay," Jesse said quickly. "Would you be fine for one night without me?"

"Of course," Arissa said quietly. She paused for a moment as Jesse waited for her to say something else. When a minute or two had passed and she still hadn't spoken, Jesse nearly hung up. But she had spoken again. "Can I ask something from you, Jesse?"

"Of course," he said, surprised that she even had to ask.

"Can you just, for this one night, forget worrying about me and just focus on enjoying Rachel's presence?" Arissa asked uncertainly, as if she was expecting him to get mad.

"Thank you_,_" Jesse murmured back to her.

He could almost see her smiling. "I love you, Jesse."

He ran a hand through his hair as he started to walk back towards the bed. Rachel was fast asleep. "I love you too, Arissa," he replied as he reached out and brushed the hair that was in front of Rachel's face. He leaned forward and kissed her on the temple. He leaned forward and whispered as quietly as he could, "I love you too."

* * *

**A/N: **It's finally done. I honestly thought that this chapter would be a little longer but my muse was not cooperating and I was slowly becoming frustrated with it. XD I'm so sorry if this chapter didn't live up to your expectations but believe me when I say that I tried my absolute best.


	6. The Warmth In Your Eyes

**Chapter Six: **the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms  
**  
A/N: **I seriously think that your reading experience would be better if you already watched the music video for OneRepublic's song All The Right Moves before you read this chapter. It is seriously easier because I'm not at all good at describing dance steps. So sorry for the delay of this chapter. Writer's block sucks, a lot. A possible ship (whether friendship or relationship is up to you) is born here. I still really don't think half of this makes sense but whatever. XD And I know that I'm basically screwing up Glee's timeline with this new story arc but whatever. Glee doesn't make sense half the time anyways. But can I safely say that this is seriously going more AU than before? I don't think I'm trying to follow Glee's canon anymore. And yes, I have not proofread this because I always facepalm when I read something of mine. Not really responsible writer behavior. And this is by far the longest thing I've written. YAY!  
**Disclaimer**: Still don't own Glee. Or All The Right Moves by OneRepublic. I only own Arisande. The title of this chapter comes from the song "Winter Winds" by Mumford and Sons. Pretty song by an awesome band.  
**Warnings **: A little swearing, courtesy of Noah Puckerman's highly colorful speech and very sensitive/dark material (in the following chapters I mean.) Nothing too explicit…descriptions are vague at most but not absolutely missing the actual point.

* * *

"So somehow Mr. Schuester got it into his head that All The Right Moves by One Republic is a good group number?" Jesse asked as he looked over to his girlfriend, who was standing in front of everyone with a smile on her face. "And he wants us to recreate one of the scenes in the music video?"

"Just the ballroom scene," Rachel added quickly. Even Arissa raised an eyebrow at that. She and Jesse may have taken a few ballroom dancing classes when they were young due to the insistence of their parents but even if the younger girl barely had experience in the glee club scene, even she had to admit that she really couldn't imagine the two worlds colliding. Ballroom dancing wasn't exactly Glee Club material.

"Wait, ballroom scene?" Finn asked, an apprehensive expression crossing his face. Arissa was surprised that the older boy could express something other than blankness and/or confusion. "No. No way. I don't do ballroom dancing. No. _No way_."

"I have to agree with Finn," Quinn voiced out as she kept a hand on her belly. "It sort of seems tacky, don't you think? I mean, while one of us sings, the rest of us does ballroom dancing in the background? I would get spinning in circles around each other and swaying in the background considering that's all we seem to do while you and Finn sing a duet but I can't really imagine ballroom dancing as a viable 'secret weapon' against Vocal Adrenaline."

"Well, Mr. Schuester wanted Artie and Tina to take the leads since, _no offense_, Artie can't really do any of the dancing," Rachel said with as much tact as she could muster. The rest of New Directions nodded in understanding. It did make sense after all. "And Mr. Schue wanted Brittany and Mike to teach us the choreography since apparently…you two watch the video every three seconds." There was a chorus of "yeah!"s and "good job!"s – with Mike even throwing in an "_it's a good music video, okay_?"- while the others gave Mike and Brittany pats on the back. "And it seemed like it was the safest choice considering your condition, Quinn. There would be no heavy lifts, considering it's not a waltz, and the like."

"Hey guys!" Will greeted them as he put a box over the piano, and a boom box was held by his other hand. Brad expressed his disapproval at the disrespect that his piano was experiencing. The kids just stared at the box in curiosity, as if they would know what was inside just by staring at it. Rachel had resumed her seat next to Jesse and exchanged a smile with him as he grasped one of her hands in his and rubbed the back of it with his thumb absentmindedly.

"Mr. Schue, what's in the box?" Puck asked as he nodded in the direction of the piano where the box was sitting, as Will also placed the boom box on top of the piano – earning another one of Brad's glares.

"I assume that Rachel had told you of our next group number, am I right?" Will asked with a smile as he turned to look at them. They all nodded their yes. "And the scene we're recreating involves masks." He then took one from the box and threw it to Puck who caught it easily. Arissa glanced at him and when he caught her staring, he smirked at her. At that, she looked away hastily and blushed heavily. "So come on, _stand up_! Pick a mask in the box and I'll assign you your partners. Hurry up. I have some exciting news for all of you."

Before everyone stood up, Kurt's hand shot up in the air – fingers wiggling and all - as he voiced out his question. "Mr. Schuester, why did you choose that song for our latest Glee number? We're a little bit apprehensive at the effectiveness of all of it."

"Well, we'll be holding a little fundraising event." There were a few quiet murmurs are that. "We need a little help with our funds for Regionals such as transportation and costume fees." The rest of the glee club nodded in understanding. They were always short on funds, anyways, with the school favoring the Cheerios over the glee club. "And I have exciting news about this specific fundraiser…" Will trailed off and paused for dramatic effects. "It's going to be a musical."

There was an explosion of noises after Will announced that. There were cacophony of questions thrown out, questions such as '_what kind of musical? A Broadway one or an original one?' _and '_what part would I play_?'. Jesse noticed Arissa tensing beside him so he grasped her hands, which were trembling a bit, with his free hand and gave them a light squeeze. Arissa looked at him and gave him a slight smile. He knew his little sister didn't like being thrust out in the spotlight and that she would be perfectly content with harmonizing with the background so this…_unsettled _her a bit. Well, actually she would be lying if she said that this didn't freak her out.

"It's going to be an original musical, but we're covering songs for the actual songs to not make everything so difficult," Will explained, answering one of their questions. "And to answer which parts you're going to play… I worked up a couple of story arcs to fit each one of you," Will explained as he walked over to the whiteboard and started to write. "I want to let each one of you shine, so I made sure that each story arc is important. There are a total of six story arcs. Each of them may seem unrelated but they're all really connected in one way or another. It's already obvious who will play who in the story arcs.

"Okay, so the characters are as follows," Will said as he turned his back at the kids and started to write. "There's Dylan, an openly gay kid who is friends with the outlandish but lovable Ava. Their story arc is about facing insecurities about themselves and then conclude with learning how to embrace their flaws with the help of each other." Kurt and Mercedes exchanged looks with each other, smiling softly at Will's obviousness of the characters they'll be playing. Will wrote _Kurt _opposite _Dylan _and _Mercedes_ opposite _Ava_.

"There's also Olivia, Anthony, Madison and Ryan," Will continued, writing on the whiteboard. "A group of tight-knit friends who have a passion for dancing and who are hoping to break into the business." Brittany and Santana turned to look at each other, holding out their pinkies and locking them together, with Santana laughing softly. Matt and Mike bumped fists and turned to their teacher with a smile. Will continued on to write _Santana_ opposite _Olivia_, _Matt _opposite _Anthony, Brittany _opposite _Madison_ and _Mike_ opposite _Ryan_.

"Then there's Emma and Michael, a seemingly omniscient couple who seem to be everywhere and seem to know everything," Will said turning to Artie and Tina with a smile as he turned back and wrote _Artie _opposite _Michael _and _Tina _opposite _Emma_. "They'll be the ones who will throw all of the events together. They are also the ones who will leave all of the events with a positive outcome. I guess you can say that they're the guardian angels of the characters in this story."

"There's Emily and Aiden, a couple who broke up but clearly still have feelings for one another. Finn and Quinn, I hope you don't mind playing these two." The said couple turned and looked at each other, clearly uncomfortable with it – not to mention wincing at the parallels of their characters and their _actual_ relationship - but choosing not to say anything. Will smiled at them before turning his back and writing _Finn _opposite _Aiden _and _Quinn _opposite _Emily_.

"Then there's Sophia and Nate, a couple who have a small number of miles standing between their relationship," Will continued on. Rachel smiled at Jesse, signaling that she found the characters that they could pull off seamlessly. Even Mr. Schuester seemed to agree with this for he wrote _Rachel _next to _Sophia _and _Jesse_ next to _Nate_. Which means that…

"Then there's Alexis, who has unreciprocated feelings for her best friend Luke, who is still hung up over her ex-girlfriend Emily." Arissa turned to look at Puck again, realizing that they would have to play opposite each other for the roles. This time, instead of a smirk, a soft smile crossed the Jew's face, in acknowledgement to that fact. Arissa felt herself smile back, liking the soft smile on the older boy's face rather than the rather predatory smirk he showed her earlier. Arissa turned back to look at her brother, feeling the tightening of his grip on her hands. "Arissa, I hope that you and Puck will familiarize yourselves with each other in order to be able to pull off these two characters who have known each other all their lives." Arissa and Puck curtly nodded as Will wrote _Arissa _next to _Alexis _and _Puck_ next to _Luke_. "I will distribute the tickets that you need to sell two days from now. This fundraiser is in three weeks, and we'll have to stay a bit later than usual for the rehearsals, including the weekends." There was a collection of groans at that. "I will be distributing the scripts at the end of rehearsal. The speaking parts are not that many, so I can expect that you could be at least familiar with them by tomorrow. At least you can wrap your head around the concept of the lines so you could just..._wing them_ if ever you forgot by tomorrow's practice. And try to learn the lyrics of the songs you'll be playing – though I don't think that that would be a problem because they're all familiar with you. So now, let's get some practice!"

Everyone did as they were told and started to walk towards the box and picked a mask. No one really complained that the play was in _three weeks_ and they had barely practiced. After all, their glee club was known for their spontaneity. (They settled their song lists for competitions within a week before the actual competition. New Directions lived for the rush.) They all slipped their masks on and waited for Will to assign the partners. Jesse walked over to his little sister and tied the ribbon that would hold the mask in place over the back of her head. Arissa did the same for him – having to stand on her tiptoes to do it – while Jesse did the Rachel's.

"Well, I've assigned you to the people that you're going to play opposite of," Will explained as he rattled off the pairs. "Obviously, Brittany and Mike are paired together as with Artie and Tina." There was a loud yell of '_yes!_' that came from Brittany as she practically _flounced_ over to Mike and gave him a tight hug. They were quite close friends but the blonde's relationship with the Latina cheerio sometimes made Arissa question which team the blonde played for. She knew that nothing should be out of the ordinary with two girl's being friends but Arissa prided herself with the fact that she had quite an amazing gay-dar. "Santana, you're with Matt. Finn, you're with Quinn. Rachel, you're with Jesse." Arissa gripped her brother's arm quite tightly before releasing it so he could walk with his girlfriend. She chose to ignore the worried look that her brother gave her. "Arissa, now is the time to familiarize yourself with Puck."

_Oh I know him_, Arissa thought to herself as she sighed and walked over to Puck. _The king of womanizers._ Rachel had told her all about him of course. Noah Puckerman, bad boy extraordinaire. She had explain her brief fling with the Jew and that, to quote her, '_he's not really a bad guy…he's just misguided_.' That did not stop Arissa from being nervous. She glanced over at him once, taking note of his appearance. He was visibly fit with not-too-big-that-they-almost-seem-like-they're-caused-by-steroids biceps. He was visibly taller than her, nearly by a foot, but he wasn't gargantuan like Finn. (Seriously, what did that boy do? Did he like experience two growth spurts or something?) In fact, he was barely taller than her brother. Arissa had to admit that he was very good-looking…which made her all the more wary of looking men barely meant good news. Her brother was a testament to that. Noticing her hesitance, Puck smirked at her yet again – another one of his scary, predatory grins.

"Hey there, Jailbait." Arissa looked up and pursed her lips. She honestly did not know whether to be amused or offended by that nickname. On one hand, he just basically called her hot. On the other hand, well he just called her hot. "I'm Puck." His name said it all. After all, it was one letter away from _fuck_. "Well, _Noah _Puckerman but only my mom gets to call me Noah." He paused for a moment. "And Berry, apparently," he added as an afterthought. He paused for a moment and Arissa thought that that was it. But he continued, "And you're Arissa, right? You're St. Jackass' younger sister, am I right?"

"Yeah. I'm Jesse's younger sister," Arissa said softly, and a bit apprehensively, as she stood at the girl's side of the room. She didn't even bother trying to continue on the conversation. She knew that she was being rude but she barely had people skills. She didn't like talking to people she barely knew. Well, actually, it was more like she _couldn't_ talk to people that she barely knew. She didn't know how to carry on conversations. She was a very sheltered teenager. It didn't help that she couldn't seem to stop staring at the floor, or her shoes for that matter. It wasn't Puck, per se. She just didn't like being around guys that weren't Jesse. They made her…_edgy_.

"Can I talk to my sister for a moment, Puckerman?" Jesse asked curtly, surprising both of them. Arissa looked at her partner pleadingly, begging him to let this one slide. She knew that Puck didn't think so highly of her brother and would probably punch him if he was given the incentive to do so in a heartbeat. Puck looked at her, raising an eyebrow at her expression. "_Please_. Just give us a moment."

"Fine," Puck replied as he moved away from the two St. James siblings, raising his hands in surrender. "But you should know that even though I'm an asshole, and I would do absolutely anything to make your life hell, I won't go as far as even _touching_ your sister just to make you suffer St. James."

Jesse didn't even bother to reply. Puck sighed and walked away, stopping at a respectable distance away from the two siblings. Arissa could feel his eyes on them though but chose not to comment about it to her brother. Jesse turned to Arissa and placed a hand on her cheek. "Are you okay with this? Do you want me to speak to Mr. Schuester? I could ask him if I could switch with Puckerman. I know Rachel won't mind."

"It's fine, Jesse." When Jesse remained unconvinced, she placed a comforting hand over the one that was on her cheek and looked at him straight in the eye – knowing that it was the only way that he could see that she was being honest. "I'll be fine. I _promise _you that the moment Puck does something – though I highly doubt it – unnecessary, I will immediately step away from him. But maybe you should give him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed really genuine when he said he wouldn't try anything."

Jesse sighed, making Arissa know with a small smile that he was satisfied. He gave her a light peck on the forehead before he turned to look at Puck, signaling that it was fine to approach her now. Arissa wanted to roll her eyes at that. Sometimes, Jesse acted more like her bodyguard than her brother and it made her feel like she was fragile. Puck walked over to the both of them with Jesse stepping away to place himself on Puck's left side, the way Rachel was on Arissa's. Then "All the Right Moves" started to play from the boombox. Mike was demonstrating how the bow at the beginning of the dance was for the boys while Brittany demonstrated the bows for the girls. Arissa held in a laugh as Puck furrowed his eyebrows and struggled to bite back a sarcastic remark about how ridiculous this all was.

As Puck poorly imitated a pose that Mike was doing, she couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips as she spun around, taking small steps towards him in the process, as the dance required and raised a hand to place it right next to his outstretched one in the air. She wanted to correct him by saying that the hand should be a little softer and a little curved instead of looking like he was just merely raising a hand, calling the teacher's attention. After a moment, his hand probably felt stiff because it faltered in the air before it resumed to the right position. They were barely touching but she could feel his warmth because of their closeness. They held that pose for a few seconds as Mike and Brittany went around checking if their positions were right.

Arissa held her ground, despite being in such a close proximity with another guy. She stared at his hazel eyes, trying to prove that she was not at all bothered – a total lie – by their proximity, noticing the way they (his eyes, I mean) darkened and lightened under the light. She stared at him so much that she was deeply surprised when his hand, which was previously in the air, grasped hers and spun her around – twice - with each turn bringing her closer to him. When she stopped spinning, she struggled to keep her balance by placing a hand on his chest. She was breathing heavily, not to mention her vision was spinning from being spun too fast, and she instantly flinched away when she realized how close they were.

They had to repeat that step considering Puck was supposed to spin her _away_ from him, not _towards_ him. By the time they finally got it right, Arissa had to sit on the floor for a moment because the room was rotating far too fast for her liking. When she finally got back to her feet, she watched as the rest of the glee club struggled with the steps. It was all very basic waltz steps and as long as you knew who was leading you wouldn't have any problem at all. Jesse and Rachel were doing remarkably well but Finn was struggling desperately. Luckily for him, Quinn was extremely patient – even though she had to work hard to keep her toes from being squashed by Finn's feet. Arissa was amazed by how fluidly Quinn moved, even though she was pregnant. The younger girl smiled faintly while thinking about the little life that was growing inside the ex-Cheerio's belly.

"You're lucky, you know," Arissa said to Puck as she positioned herself in front of him again. She guided his hand on her waist and placed her other hand on her shoulder. There was no tension now, and Arissa didn't flinch away from the contact anymore. She intertwined their free hands and taught him the basic steps of the dance. She counted slowly in her hand, wincing a bit when he accidentally stepped on her foot.

"That you're my dance partner?" the older boy asked cheekily after he apologized for stepping on her toes. Arissa only smiled softly at his joke. He sobered up, seeing that she was serious. "I'm lucky that what?"

"That you have Quinn," Arissa replied softly with a faint smile. Puck's eyebrows scrunched together at that, his arrogant smirk fading completely. He looked – as in _really looked_ – at the younger girl and found himself smiling at the unflinching honesty in her eyes – even through the mask. Arissa may have been new in the school and she may not know the back story of every member of the Glee club but she knew that Quinn and Puck – and even Finn – had their fair share of trials. "And that baby inside of her. I know that it wasn't easy to get to where you are now but you're _really_ lucky you have both of them."

For once in his high school life, Noah Puckerman was speechless in front of a girl. After all, what can you possibly reply to something like that? Not to mention no one – well, ever since Berry that is – ever said something so nice to him. No one also stared at him with those eyes…those kind and warm eyes. (Puck was convinced it was because she was new and that she didn't know him.) So he said the first thing that came to his mind. "I know."

His dance partner seemed to be contented with his response as she resumed to teaching him the dance steps that Brittany and Mike were demonstrating. Their progress was surprisingly fast with Puck catching up with the complex dance steps that Brittany and Mike were showing off, barely even stepping on the younger girl's foot. Even Arissa was showing herself to be a fast learner, even though she was _never _a dancer. Sure, she went to a few ballroom dancing lessons as a child with Jesse but she never got as far as what they were learning now. They were within one-quarters of the dance when the others called for five minutes to rest. Brittany and Mike gave them three. As soon as the two young instructors let them rest, they all collapsed on the floor…_exhausted_.

"I need to rehydrate myself. All this stress is bad for my skin," Kurt was telling Mercedes as he pushed himself off the floor and went to his bag to get his water bottle, taking off his mask temporarily. (Arissa was thoroughly convinced that his mask was for a girl.) "And good Lord, I'm sweating! Do you realize how sweat is bad for my mosturizing regime? I swear, if my skin dries out, I will hunt you two down."

"Quinn, are you okay?" Finn was asking Quinn, scrambling to sit next to her, who was nursing her highly bruised foot. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I knew I shouldn't have been your dance partner! I have no idea what I'm doing. Is this even healthy for the baby? I'm really sorry, Quinn. And damn, I can't see anything in this thing. And it's too tight!"

"It's really alright," Quinn told her ex-boyfriend as patiently as she could through the baby hormones. She had her mask off, and Arissa could see that it was abandoned on her chair. "Although I would really be grateful to you if you would stop stepping on my foot every three steps."

"Do you still feel guilty?" Arissa asked Puck, who was sitting right next to her. They had their masks off, not really knowing why they needed to wear them in the first place. Puck had taken hers and, with great precision, threw it over to her chair. The mask, considering its weight the air resistance, landed miraculously on her chair. Puck did the same with his and it landed on his chair. _Damn, he's a good thrower_, Arissa thought. For once, Jesse let the proximity between them slide considering he stayed put behind Rachel. The younger St. James smiled faintly at their position, with Rachel leaning back at Jesse with the older boy playing with her hair. Last Arissa heard, they were discussing the complexities of Les Miserables' plot. At Puck's blank expression, Arissa elaborated. "About Finn and Quinn." When Puck raised an eyebrow, probably wondering how he knew about the whole debacle, Arissa continued, "I asked Rachel."

When Puck stayed silent, Arissa was worried that she offended him with her bluntness. But after a few seconds, he replied. "At times. After all, they were like McKinley's golden couple. Probably could run for Prom Queen and King. And me, well…I'm a stud and all that but I ain't Finn. Anyone would feel guilty that they were the cause of their break-up. Anyone would feel guilty that they were the cause of _a _break-up. And Finn's my best bud and I would do anything for the guy. But like you said, I'm lucky I have Quinn and the baby. I may not know what the hell I'm supposed to do but _I'm lucky_. I'm not proud of what I did but I'm grateful that I have the two of them." He paused for a moment. "Is St. Jackass serious about Berry?"

"Honestly? I think he is," Arissa replied as she looked down and contemplated her next words. "Of course with Jesse you'll never really know but if you trust my judgment when it comes to my older brother, I can tell you with a straight face that I honestly think that he's serious about her."

"Good." He paused for a moment. Arissa turned to look at him, not used to his silence. "Because I don't think punching your older brother would make a very good impression on you." She looked at him as she laughed softly. She shook her head as she brushed a lock of her hair away from her face. "Do you mind?"

"Mind what?" Arissa asked him, a confused look on her face that Puck chuckled at. Arissa blushed lightly at that, move a bit so that they would be facing each other but still relatively close so that it didn't seem like the younger girl was avoiding physical contact with the older boy. Their legs were only a few inches apart, after all.

"That Mr. Schue assigned you to me," Puck continued. Arissa shook her head slightly. "I mean, I know I sort of suck when I dance and all that shit…but I don't mean only as a dance partner." Arissa looked even more confused. "I mean, that he assigned you opposite me in the musical."

"Well, first off you actually don't suck in dancing," Arissa said, her voice above a whisper as if she was sharing a secret with him. She decided against making a comment about his swearing. "I mean, you've only stepped on my foot once. Compared to Finn, you're actually really good. Second off, I really don't mind. I'm not in the position to complain, not that I'm saying I would if I were, so I just take what they give me. Besides, I think Alexis would be a very interesting character to play. I'm sure it would be relatively painless. And besides, I'm not exactly starring opposite you considering that you're still not over your ex-girlfriend."

"Good point," Puck said with a laugh. "Though fair warning, I may or may not suck more in acting than I do in dancing. I mean, I wouldn't mind the singing parts because I'm sort of really good at that – I wouldn't be, like, in here if I can't - but hot damn, do not make me act. Because unless I'm paid, I will suck."

"I'm sure you're not that bad," Arissa assured him. "Besides, we're technically being paid considering this is a fund-raiser and all. The fruits of our labor are new costumes and transportation."

"I guess you got that right." Puck paused for a moment, noting the way that Arissa kept glancing in the direction where Rachel and Jesse were sitting. "You guys are scarily close, you know."

"Me and Jesse?" Arissa asked as Puck nodded. "We're siblings," Arissa said softly, not really getting the whole deal. If Arissa had a penny every time that someone commented on their closeness, well…"We're supposed to be close." At Puck's skeptic expression, the younger girl sighed. "We've just…_been through a lot_." Puck nodded in understanding, not really wanting to prod for more information. "It's just us, I guess. Well, us and our uncle. Our parents aren't exactly Mother and Father of the Year material."

"Ah," Puck muttered softly. Something in his tone implied that he understood exactly what that felt like. Arissa looked up to stare at him, her gaze asking for an explanation. "My dad's dead-beat, left my mom when I was young. I have a little sister. Name's Sarah. A pain in the ass but she's still my sister and I take care of her and stuff. She barely knew him, you know. Just a kid when he left. We don't get along all the time but we get along enough. It's not like the sort of…bond you have with St. James." Arissa smiled softly at that. "I meant what I said you know." At the confused expression on Arissa's fact, he elaborated, "I'm not going to try to get in your pants just because you're St. James' younger sister. Even I wouldn't stoop that low." He paused again, leaning forward in a way that Arissa found herself leaning back. When their faces were inches apart, he whispered softly, "I'd try because you're hot."

* * *

"You should really stop trying to burn a hole on the back of Noah's head with your glare you know," Rachel commented absentmindedly as she traced shapes on Jesse's palm with her finger. The had left their masks in their respective bags, finding them as a hindrance in their dancing. "He's not going to try anything. Not with you sitting a couple of inches away."

"But look at the way that he's staring at her," Jesse protested, tensing behind Rachel. His girlfriend sighed. Seriously, she would normally find Jesse's over-protectiveness endearing but if he could actually incapacitate someone because of it…well, it doesn't seem that endearing anymore. "He's probably thinking that Arissa's an easy catch. Does Puckerman always prey on the weak?"

"First off, I don't think that Arissa is anywhere near weak," Rachel started as she stopped tracing patterns on his hand. "Second off, Puck's not facing in our direction so I don't really know how you can make out the way that he's staring at Arissa. Third off, look at your sister. She's actually looking like she's enjoying Noah's company."

"You can't really blame me for worrying, Rachel," Jesse sighed as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's waist. "I mean, she's my sister and you know Puckerman. _Anything that moves, _Rachel. _Anything that moves._"

"I understand your concern and you're right, you're Arissa's older brother. It's probably practically your job to protect her from harm's way but Noah's harmless," Rachel said, remembering her brief relationship with her fellow Jew. "Aside from that stint with Mercedes a couple of days ago, he wasn't at all unfaithful with Quinn. Then again, I don't really understand what kind of relationship those two have…if they're actually dating or not that is."

"It's just, guys like Puckerman are specifically the ones I want _away_ from Arissa. You know my sister. She may seem so strong but she's too trusting of people. Sure, she doesn't like interacting with people but she's naïve and innocent and you know how people can take advantage of that." Jesse sighed. "The world is not kind to people like Arissa." Jesse paused for a moment, worried that Rachel was offended by all the attention that he was showing at his little sister. "I'm so sorry about ranting about this with you. I could shut up, if you want."

Rachel's hands tightened their grip on his. "No. I…I like this protective side of you. Sure, I might think that you might be going a wee bit overboard but it shows just how much you care." She brought one pair of their intertwined hands to her lips, brushing her lips across their knuckles. "I find it hot, actually."

"Oh really now?" Jesse asked with a suggestive tone to his voice that caused a blush to appear on Rachel's cheeks. She was glad that she was turning away from him.

"In all honesty, the only way you can fully protect Arissa is if you make her wear a chastity belt and keep the key," Rachel said, steering the conversation back to a 'safe' topic.

"You're right," Jesse said with a sigh. Rachel smiled triumphantly, staring at the way Arissa smiled softly at something Noah said. "Do you think they still make chastity belts somewhere in the world?"

Rachel twisted her body to look at her boyfriend incredulously. "Seriously?" she asked with a scandalized tone.

Jesse only chuckled as he placed a light kiss on her forehead. "I'm kidding." Rachel rolled her eyes and turned her back on him again. "But seriously though, if he even thinks about laying a finger on Arissa…I'm castrating him."

Rachel's only response was elbowing him on the stomach.

* * *

Arissa stared blankly at Puck, her brain quite slowly processing what he said, and then continued to blush fiercely. She was about to reply when Brittany and Mike called them again to start practice again. Arissa could faintly hear Kurt muttering about _torture_ and _this isn't going to be good for my skin_ but she was too focused on trying to not let Puck get to her nerves. She was failing miserably of course. Every time their hands touched, and every time Puck stepped too close, Arissa couldn't help the goose bumps that rose on her arms nor the blush that crept up on her cheeks. It didn't help that his eyes seemed just so fixated on her and they seemed to change colors. ('_Or am I imagining this?_ _Are they green or hazel or brown? But aren't those all the same? I mean, isn't hazel just a mixture of green and brown in the first place? What am I doing? Why am I thinking of his eyes? I need to focus on not stepping on his toes. Stop it. Ugh, Arisande chill out._')

Puck was immensely amused at the effect he had on the younger girl. It was like she was trying her best to keep her composure and failing miserably. To be honest, he was quite fond of her shyness and her naivety. But he had Quinn and in a way, he didn't want to corrupt the young girl's innocence. And he actually really meant what he said. He didn't want the older St. James to think that he was going after his little sister because of him. He was backing off. _For now_.

Arissa almost sighed in relief – she didn't, of course (it would have been too rude) – as Mr. Schue clapped his hands once to signal the end of the rehearsal. She tore her hands away from Puck's and almost flew across the room to fetch her bag before rushing over to the other side of the room and throwing herself on her brother's arm, (grabbing the sheets that Mr. Schuester held out for her, probably the script of their play, along the way) clutching onto it like it was her lifeline. Her fast movement startled Jesse and Rachel, instantly pausing on their conversation (they were poring over the script that they held in their hands) to turn and look at the younger girl. Jesse turned around to throw a dirty look at Puck, who was frozen in the middle of the choir room – wondering how the hell the younger girl moved _that fast._(Was she like a runner or something? Did he scare her off that much?) After a moment, Puck just smiled to himself and shook his head – walking over to his chair to fetch his things.

"You okay?" Jesse asked softly as they continued on walking. Arissa remained silent, causing Jesse to worry. "Did Puck do something to you? Do I need to beat him up, Arisande? Do I need to call our family lawyer? Hell, do I need to castrate him? I'm sure I could pull some strings…"

Arissa raised her eyes in alarm, shaking her head furiously, cutting off her brother's rant. "No. _No_. No to beating him up." She paused for a moment as she released Jesse's arm from her death grip. "Or the lawyer and the castration for that matter." Both Jesse and Rachel stared at her, the three of them still walking towards the exit of the school. "He just…_startled me_. In a good way, I guess." She rushed to keep the end of her statement clear, so as to make sure that Jesse wouldn't march back and get in the fight with Puck.

"Noah can have that effect on people," Rachel said helpfully. "He can come across as…well, you know the way he is but he's a good guy Jesse. When he said that he wouldn't hit on Arissa, he probably meant it." Arissa bit her lower lip at that. Well, he wasn't really flirting…was he? He was just complimenting her when he called her hot. Twice. I mean, that's not strictly '_hitting on her_' material. Right? "So what do you think of the script so far?"

"Not bad," Jesse said truthfully as he scanned his eyes across the page. "The characters truly are their own. There are a few things that need work but overall, it's a fairly good script. I mean, a few lines are too cheesy and some of the situations are a bit cliché but I'm actually glad that they all have their happy endings. What do you think, Arissa?"

"I really like the song selections," Arissa commented, noting the list of the songs on the top of the first page. "They're very appropriate for the situation that the respective characters are facing." She continued on reading. (Arissa was a fairly fast reader.) "I also like the way that the girls in here actually don't come off as weak. I mean, look at Alexis. She may be in love with her best friend but she doesn't spend time moping around, waiting for him to see sense. She's actually trying hard to move on from him. And then there's Sophia. Despite being in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend, she's trying to stay strong…convincing herself that these doubts she has in him are groundless and that they _can_ survive this." As she finished, Rachel and Jesse stared at her in awe. "I read fast when I'm stressed."

"I noticed," Rachel said with a laugh. "I think that Mr. Schuester proved himself quite well with this one. Even the songs fit the story and our voices perfectly. We are so going to nail this song, Jesse!"

Jesse smirked and nodded. "Of course we're going to nail it. We're Jesse St. James and Rachel Berry. There's no song in existence that we can't nail." Arissa rolled her eyes at her brother's conceitedness. "We are flawless."

Arissa was having trouble keeping her laughter at bay. She bit her lower lip, trying her best to put on a poker face but it was clear on her brother's face that she was failing miserably which was why she stopped trying and just let her laughter out. "Oh my God, you two are seriously alike it's almost scary."

"Should I be offended?" Rachel asked confusedly, looking back and forth between the two siblings. "Should I stomp my foot and storm out?"

Arissa and Jesse spoke at the same time – with the younger girl still wrapped in her laughter.

"We're already outside," Arissa wheezed out, clutching her stomach as she tried to stop laughing.

"Don't be offended," Jesse, on the other hand, said. He rolled his eyes as he reached out and ruffled his little sister's hair, earning a glare from the younger girl. "This is normal behavior from her." At that, Arissa stopped walking and raised a perfectly thick eyebrow as if saying '_you did not just say that_'. With a growl, she ran towards her brother – thank God she was wearing sneakers – and jumped on his back, latching her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Rachel was startled but Jesse kept on walking, the only change was that he reached behind him and placed his hands on his little sister's legs – just below her bum - to make sure that she wouldn't fall. It was another testament on how these two worked. It was like the other's move was already anticipated by the other so that they would remain unfazed by an otherwise surprising action to the unsuspecting eye. Jesse kept on walking alongside Rachel, not at all bothered by his sister's added weight, and Arissa made herself comfortable and laid her chin on Jesse's shoulder.

"Do you think that our characters are like fate's way of foreshadowing the things to come in our future?" Rachel was asking Jesse as Arissa listened in closely. She winced at that, knowing that guys didn't normally like talking about the _future_. But Jesse didn't seem to mind. At all. "I mean, you'll be gone for college soon enough."

Jesse shrugged, with difficulty considering Arissa's head was on his shoulder. "There are many possibilities in the future, Rachel. So yes, I think that this could be one outcome. But I would expect something more…_theatrical_."

"How could separation be theatrical, Jesse?" Rachel asked with a laugh. Arissa agreed that she had a point. Separation was sad and depressing, not _theatrical_.

"I guess we could imitate what Sophia and Nate were doing in a way," Jesse said with a grin. "Record ourselves singing a song about separation, edit it into a quaint little video…add a little split screen here and there to emphasize our distance and voila! A theatrical way of handling separation."

Arissa scrunched her nose in disgust and buried her face at Jesse's shoulder, emitting a strangled groan along the way. She then proceeded to say something that Rachel and Jesse did not understand at all.

"I beg your pardon?" Jesse asked softly.

"I said," Arissa said as she raised her head to make her voice clearer. "You are an embarrassment to the St. James name, Jesse. That was way too cheesy for your own good."

"Oh shush," Jesse admonished, blushing a little bit. Rachel laughed. "You just entered the world of glee club. You don't know a thing about theatricality. Your argument is invalid."

"Whatever helps you sleeps at night, Jesse," Arissa said with a laugh, resuming her comfortable position with her chin propped on Jesse's shoulder. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

* * *

Puck walked alongside Quinn as they went out of the school, with Quinn's hands firmly around Puck's arm. As they walked out to the parking lot, Puck spotted Rachel, Arissa and Jesse walking in the other direction. Utterly fixated, Puck stopped walking and froze on the spot – startling Quinn.

"Puck, what is it?" Quinn asked softly. Her hormones were at bay at the moment so her emotions were not overly spiked up. Thankfully. It might seem entertaining but it was overly exhausting to fight with Puck.

Puck smiled a bit as he saw Arissa proceed to jump on her brother's back and that the older St. James didn't even seem that fazed. He looked away and turned his eyes to Quinn instead. "Nothing. It's nothing."

But Quinn wasn't looking at him. In fact, her eyes seemed to be focused on the spot that Puck was looking at moments before. "Seriously Puck? A thing with Rachel again when it's clear that she's with St. James?"

Puck raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you talking about?" he asked as he looked in the direction she was looking at. When he realized that, _Oh right...Berry is there too_, he just laughed. "I don't have a thing for Berry."

Quinn glared at him before her eyes widened in realization. She looked back again in the direction the trio disappeared to before laughing. "Oh my God, you have a thing for the newbie? You have a thing for the younger St. James? Damn, Puck, you're really into anything that moves are you? Anything that moves provided that they wear skirts."

Puck was utterly confused by now. He was about to comment that Arissa was in no way wearing a skirt now until comprehension dawned upon him. "I can't," Puck said softly. Quinn stopped laughing and turned to look at him, immediately sobering up at the intense expression on Puck's face. "Not gonna do that. It's not right."

"When have you ever thought about doing what's right?" Quinn asked. She tried to keep the bite from her tone but she can't help it okay? She's born naturally bitchy. Puck only gave her a pointed look, eyes trailing down to her belly. Quinn sighed. He was right of course. He was being a man by stepping up and taking over the responsibility of being a father to Beth. He really wanted this. She didn't even have to force him. "Why is it not right?"

"There's you," Puck replied, as they started walking towards Puck's truck again. "And, you know, Beth and all. And there's something about her that's…_off_. She seemed almost scared of me. I mean, I totally get that I'm like…scary and all – I _own _that - but it's not the same. She's almost…"

"Cautious," Quinn supplied for him as Puck opened the door of his truck for her. The pregnant girl hadn't even bothered to point out that her pregnancy – and her, in general – didn't stop him from dating Mercedes because she wasn't bitter. No, she really wasn't. Puck paused and thought about it. He nodded slightly after a few moments. "It's like she's walking on thin ice when you're around her."

"How'd you know?" Puck asked as he placed a hand on the door.

"She's like that with every guy in Glee club," Quinn said softly. She didn't want to admit that she was watching the younger St. James but her jumpy attitude made her curious. "It's like she's scared that you're going to just burn her or hurt her or something. She's like that, even with her brother. It may not seem obvious, but she tenses everytime she's involved in some kind of physical contact with a guy."

"Yeah, I sort of noticed that too," Puck said softly, running a hand over his shaved head. It still seemed a little unnatural – not feeling the patch of hair that was there before. Fucking mole. Fucking doctor. "I mean, during rehearsal, she was like jumping every time she came too close to me. Fucking hell, I sound like a stalker."

Quinn frowned and placed her hands over her belly, as if she was trying to cover her – their – baby's barely existent ears from hearing her father's colorful words. "No cursing, remember?"

"Shit, sorry," Puck muttered with Quinn rolling her eyes at another curse word flying from Puck's mouth. Quinn glared at him yet again. "Sorry, sorry." He shut the door and backed away, proceeding to walk over to the driver's side of the car. As he settled his seat and inserted the keys in the ignition, Quinn could notice the tension in his shoulders as he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He was still clearly thinking of what she said. With a sigh, Quinn placed a hand over one of his hands – urging him to relax. His next question, so out of the blue, startled her for more reasons than one. "You're not really happy with me, are you?"

Quinn froze at that. She wasn't used to Puck showing this side of him. He barely talked about feelings, often choosing to show his badass exterior rather than let other people see his weaknesses and go for it. It could be quite frustrating at times especially when Quinn sometimes misinterpreted the things he did or the things he said because he was such a closed book but she got used to it after a while. She knew how hard exteriors can sometimes protecte you from the emotional pain that comes with…well _everything_ so she wasn't really one to judge.

She knew she should really answer but Puck caught her so off-guard that she didn't have time to respond. She was startled when he suddenly started the engine.

"Yeah, I thought so."

* * *

"You need to teach me the piano for this song," Arissa told her. The younger St. James was sitting in the middle of Jesse's bed, looking over one of the many papers that was scattered around the bed alongside a few of her schoolbooks and a few notebooks. She had a highlighter in one hand – a faint shade of red – and even had a smudge of red ink on her cheek. Jesse spun his chair to face his little sister, smiling slightly at her disheveled appearance. She had her hair in a messy ponytail and her fingers were tinged with the ink from her pens. Arissa always failed at multi-tasking, often becoming overwhelmed with all of the work and resorting to going to her brother for help.

"Last time I tried to teach you, you smashed your hands on the keys in frustration which caused the lid to fall down which bruised the bones in your left hand," Jesse reminded her. It was only one of the few times that Jesse tried to teach her sister how to play the piano. Not one time was successful. Arissa was a smart girl but playing the piano was just not right for her.

"Well, you were talking so fast and your hands moved so fast and you saying that this was chord something and that was key something and you had to move both your hands at the same time and _I had no idea what the hell you were talking about_," Arissa said in a rush, all in one breath. "And besides, I think this is a very basic song to play on the piano." Arissa started to reach for her laptop which sat on one of Jesse's bedside tables. She placed her laptop on her lap and started to type away, probably looking up the song sheet for the song.

"Fine, I'll teach you," Jesse conceded with a sigh. Arissa looked up and grinned at him happily before resuming her attention to her laptop and Jesse spinning his chair to face his own bulk of homework. They stayed like that for a moment, with Jesse's iPod playing soft music in the background, Jesse's pen scratching softly at his notebook and Arissa's fingers flying through the keys of her laptop. "Hey Arissa?"

"Hm?" Arissa muttered but she didn't take her eyes away from the screen. She really didn't like putting off homework but she needed to study for her role and there's this Spanish exam tomorrow but her English assignment was nowhere near done. Then there were those equations for Algebra…

"What do you think of Puckerman?" Jesse asked cautiously, still not turning around to face her younger sister. He heard the pause in her typing though, and he felt her gaze on the back of his head.

After a few moments of silence, Arissa narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why?"

"No reason," Jesse replied, with as much control he could have projected in his voice. Which wasn't much in the moment. "Just genuinely curious."

"This isn't because you were planning to castrate him early on, is it?" Arissa asked as she placed her laptop on her brother's bed. "Because if it is, I really don't want to give you any reason to do exactly that."

"So there is a reason I should castrate him," Jesse said, turning around and standing up. He started to walk towards his bed so that he was towering over the St. James. He knew that he didn't scare his sister but it didn't hurt to try right?

"I did not say that," Arissa protested.

"But you didn't deny it either."

"Jesse, will you stop making Puck the bad guy?" Arissa asked, exasperated. She could never understand the bad blood between these two. Puck won't stop calling her brother St. Jackass and Jesse won't stop basically calling Puck an asshole. "I mean if you could get past the womanizing…"

"…and his permanent records, not to mention all the time he spent in juvie that one summer." Jesse paused at the glare his sister was giving him. "What?"

"You had someone do a background check on him?" Arissa asked incredulously. She seriously hated that his brother had their family private investigator on speed dial. Just one call and poof - he could check up on anyone with a simple press of a button. The wonders that wealth could accomplish still astounded Arissa up to this day. "You are _insane_."

"I'm just taking precautions," Jesse told her. Arissa groaned before leaning back and letting herself fall back on the bed. She took a pillow and just _screamed_ into it. "Well, to be fair I had our private investigator do a background check on everyone in Glee. Including Mr. Schuester." Arissa groaned anymore. "And Puckerman had an _astounding _track record."

"Invasion of privacy," Arissa muttered to herself. "Complete invasion of privacy. Not to mention completely stalker-ish behavior. But I guess if you have the money, you could do absolutely everything."

"As proven by your extensive wardrobe," Jesse pointed out.

"In my defense, a large percentage of my wardrobe were sent by Mother every time she felt guilty that she didn't spend enough time with me. Which is like always." Arissa sighed as she straightened up and looked at her brother. "You have your bank account, I have my wardrobe."

"And what better way to spite them than by sending a bucket load of bills to…well, wherever they are?" Jesse asked as he sat on one side of the bed. They had such crappy parents. "You wouldn't want to know how many credit cards I'd maxxed out during my "rebellious" phase."

"The same amount you're maxxing out now?" Arissa asked sarcastically. "Seriously, you spend so much money that you'd think that they're growing from trees."

"Well, actually…" Jesse started but Arissa cut him off.

"If you even say a single word about how money is made out of paper, I will make sure that you cannot have children," Arissa told him dangerously. That shut Jesse up. "Sometimes I really question how in the world we're related. I'm sane and you're clearly…well, _insane._"

"I got my insanity from our parents," Jesse said cheekily. He then let out a slight gasp, causing Arissa to raise an eyebrow. "Maybe you're, like, Uncle Spencer's long-lost daughter or something."

Arissa rolled her eyes. "Jesse, Uncle Spencer was ten years old when I was born. As promiscuous as some of the St. James men actually were, I don't think he would have been _that_ promiscuous."

"I guess you have a point." Jesse started to gather Arissa's notes from one side of the bed so he could lie down next to her. After he placed her notes on his other bedside drawer, he lied down next to Arissa. "Should I be bothered that you seem to be enjoying Puckerman's company?"

"No, you shouldn't," Arissa said softly. "I mean, it's not like he's going to ask me out or anything. He _told _you that he's backing off. And if he _did_ ask me out, which I'm not saying he will considering he's with Quinn, I assure you that I'm going to politely refuse. I mean, the last time I was out on a date…"

"Don't," Jesse whispered quietly. "I still don't like talking about it, Arissa. I know it's been almost a year but just…_don't_. I know your shrink told you that talking about it helped with the recovery but I can't listen to it and be okay."

Arissa nodded in understanding. She spend most of the past few months in denial after all. "Why are you so concerned about me being attached to Puck? Are you worried that he's going to cut down our precious time together?"

"Who? Puckerman?" Jesse asked in an almost scandalized tone. "Psh, no. You're too in love with me to even think about spending with some boy who's…well not me." Arissa suddenly made a choking sound that instantly had Jesse sitting upright and staring at her. She had her hands around her throat, as if she was struggling to breathe. Jesse placed his hands on her shoulder, as if that would somehow relieve her of the pressure. "Arissa, what's wrong?"

"I'm suffocating," Arissa wheezed out as she struggled to breathe. Her eyes seemed unfocused and she was getting paler by the second. Jesse shot off the bed, reaching for his phone. "You…your ego is _taking up all the room!_ It's suffocating."

Jesse paused, his phone still in his left hand with the fingers of his right hand on the keys – probably punching in 911 to get some help. He turned slowly to face his sister, an indecipherable expression on his face. Arissa was sitting up by now, all color returning to her face. She started to laugh at the expression on her brother's face which seemed like a mix of relief, anger, happiness, incredulity and confusion. He honestly didn't know whether to smile or to frown.

"I honestly don't know why I put up with you," Jesse said, mostly to himself as he sat back down on his bed.

"Because you love me," Arissa said in a sing-song voice. "You love me very, very much."

"Ugh. You know someday you're going to give me a heart attack or something," Jesse muttered as he lay back down and placed an arm over his eyes. "You silly, silly girl. You know, one day I'm going to stop believing you and you're just going to choke to death."

"Highly unlikely,' Arissa said with a snort. Jesse glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw that she was reading a page from the script. "I know the effect I have on you, Jesse. You're going to spend the rest of your life worrying about me and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Jesse knew that Arissa was joking but there was so much truth in her statement that he found himself sighing. Being Arissa's older brother was a tiring experience – what with him being worried about her welfare every single time they're not together – but it was not an unpleasant one. Arissa was the only one who made him smile and actually mean it. Sure, there was Rachel but that was different. Rachel could break his heart. Arissa can't. Well, Arissa _won't._ There's a possibility that Rachel wouldn't be around forever. Arissa would always be there. She'll always stand by his side.

"Jesse?" Arissa called, distracting him from his thoughts. "You're serious about Rachel right? Like, you really love her right? No games. No hidden agendas. Just…you really love her right?"

Jesse paused. "Yeah. Yeah, I do Arissa." They had this conversation a few times already but Arissa never got tired of asking. And Jesse never got tired of admitting it. "I wouldn't have transferred to McKinley if I wasn't serious."

"I'm sorry for asking about this too much," Arissa said with a small frown crossing her features. "I just…I wanted to be sure. If you want me to stop asking, you could just…like tell me and stuff."

"I don't mind," Jesse said honestly. Arissa had barely annoyed him anyways. She rarely did or said something that would make him irritated. Not to mention he knew that her heart was in the right place. Her heart was _always_ in the right place, choosing to see the bright side rather than mope in the darkness. They were like yin and yang. While Jesse was all black and dark and glum, Arissa was bright and light and white. She was an optimist, the way he was a pessimist. He was the black sheep of the family; she was the prized daughter – ever obedient. But even with the vast differences in them, Jesse loved Arissa. He didn't mind that their parents preferred her by a landslide…she deserved their appreciation. She worked hard for a sliver of their appreciation and Jesse wasn't about to take that away from her. And Jesse was glad that even with his flaws, Arissa loved him. _A lot_.

He paused for a moment as he heard Arissa sniffling. A bit alarmed, he turned to look at her. She was fixated on the page of the script was holding…unshed tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Arissa reached up with her free hand to wipe the tears that fell from the corner of her eyes. "It's just…Sophia and Nate. The placement of the song is just so…" She trailed away, still staring at the page in her hands. "You two are so going to nail this song."

Jesse chuckled. He took the page from Arissa as she took another one from her right side, where the script was in a pile. They spent a few moments in silence, reading over the entirety of the script. It turns out that Alexis, Arissa's character, was Nate's – who was played by Jesse – younger sister. The two exchanged a look. The parallels of their characters and their lives were almost comical and cheesy. As they finished the script – it ended with all the characters having their own happy ending during the "All The Right Moves" number – the laid down on the bed in silence.

"Are you going to sleep here again, Arissa?" Jesse asked, almost sleepily. "I mean, I don't mind and all. Even with your kicking and stuff."

"I don't kick!" Arissa protested. "Well, unless I'm like having a nightmare and stuff but otherwise I don't kick. Or flail, for that matter." She paused for a moment, considering his question. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

Jesse was in the process of sliding off the bed when she answered. "Of course not, Arissa. You know you can always sleep in here."

Arissa smiled contentedly at his reply. Jesse continued on towards the bathroom, sliding off his shirt along the way and picking up his sleeping clothes in his clothes drawer. He went inside the bathroom but popped out a second later, asking a question at his little sister.

"So, what do you really think of Puckerman?"

Arissa took one of his pillows and threw it at him with great strength. Jesse dodged it easily, laughing inside the bathroom. Arissa groaned and plopped down back on the bed. She honestly didn't know why she put up with this.

* * *

**A/N : **Ten thousand words on ten pages! All completely nonsense. And look, New Directions are actually here! XD So sorry for not having enough St. Berry fluff. I promise there will be some in the upcoming chapters! Leave a review along the way?


End file.
